Google Mobile Page Speed Update For Mobile Search Rankings.
Due to the fact that more than half of all web traffic now comes from mobile phone users, and that the average mobile webpage takes 15 seconds to load, Google decided to make page speed a ranking factor in mobile search results.
It’s been almost 3 years since Google rolled out the ‘mobile update’ rewarding good quality mobile friendly websites. That update looked at the website design not it’s performance. The goal here was to get websites to at least have a mobile version of their site.
The Google Mobile Page Speed Update (rolled out on July 9, 2018) now evaluates how long a page takes to load based on a 10-point grading scale.
Google stated this update will only affect the slowest of mobile pages, with pages taking several seconds and longer to load. Ranking in search engine result pages (SERP) will only be negatively affected if a page takes a few seconds to load on small screen devices like smartphones. Fast loading pages, those that load in under a second will not be affected.
Cheap servers are one of the contributing elements to pages taking more than several seconds to load.
This is why ALL websites built by Thinking IT are hosted on our reliable, super fast servers.
While our website hosting may cost a dollar a week more, our clients sleep better at night, and benefit with higher search rankings.
With this latest Google algorithm update, having a ‘fast loading mobile website’ is no longer something nice to have, it is expected. The Google mobile page speed update is just the first stage in improving user experience on small screen devices.
It’s also worth noting while websites that had ‘mobile friendly’ UX designs were rewarded, this update looks at penalising slow loading sites when using mobile search.
With more people using smartphones to search and buy, there’s a user expectation of a page to load in under 2 seconds. If a page takes 6-8 seconds to load chances are your competitor now has that visitor on their website.
Note too, this will increase the ‘bounce rate’ which in turn decreases your page rank in SERP.
If search engine optimisation is a major component of your overall business marketing spend, and it should be, as page speed is now a measurable ranking factor, your SEO plan should now be including ways to make all your mobile webpages load faster.
Read more about responsive design to understand how a website should be built!
After A New Website Design That Ranks?
Whether you’re looking at upgrading or starting from scratch, provide services or have products you’d like to sell online, Thinking IT can design a stunning website for your business, make sure it has a fast mobile page speed and ranks high on all search engine result pages (SERP).
After discussing your goals and analysing what you require, Nigel will be able to let you know exactly what the costs will be to meet your unique needs.
At Thinking IT, we can handle everything to make your online presence a success. From photography & graphic design services to copywriting your pages & website’s blog – utilising local SEO techniques, set up automated email campaigns & look after your social media or PPC marketing.
