Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Websites Prep for Google’s ‘Mobilegeddon’

4:34 pm ET. Apr 20, 2015

By ROLFE WINKLER, Wall Street Journal

Associated Press
Google GOOGL -0.11% is changing its search algorithm Tuesday to favor sites that look good on smartphones, a move some are calling “mobilegeddon” because of its impact on website operators.

The new formula will give a boost in Google’s “organic” search results to sites that are designed to look good on smartphones, while penalizing those that don’t.

Google changes its algorithm frequently, but in this case it took the unprecedented step of warning sites in February that it was coming, and giving them tips on how to prepare.

“Google wants people going mobile friendly,” said Danny Sullivan, founding editor of Search Engine Land. He said the April 21 deadline had created a “panic and frenzy” among Web developers to make the changes.

There’s potential benefit for Google in the move, too. Users are conducting more searches on mobile devices. A Google executive said at a conference last year that smartphone searches could soon outnumber searches from personal computers.

However, advertisers typically pay less for clicks from phones, because they less often lead to sales. Encouraging developers to tailor sites to look good on smartphones should lead to more sales and consequently higher prices for Google’s mobile ads, said Matt Ackley, chief marketing officer of Marin Software, an advertising technology firm.

Google wants developers to make their sites look better on smartphones by tailoring them for small screens, using bigger text and links that are farther apart and easier to tap.

“As people increasingly search on their mobile devices, we want to make sure they can find content that’s not only relevant and timely, but also easy to read and interact with on smaller mobile screens,” a Google spokeswoman said.

Some website operators create special sites just for mobile devices, while others are building a single “responsive” site that adapts to the size of the user’s screen.

Joe Megibow, chief digital officer of American Eagle Outfitters, says his company is preparing to launch a new “responsive” site which will mean it no longer has to maintain two different sites, one for mobile and one for personal computers.

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