John Dibb, Head of Digital at Cambridge-based KISS Communications, gives his advice on how to prepare for Google's 'Responsive Ranking'.
To put it simply, Google is going to give higher and stronger rankings to websites that are responsive and mobile friendly.
For example:
You and your competitor both sell the same products/services and currently have similar standing on Google.
Your competitor has already invested in a fully responsive site, and is capturing the huge amount of mobile traffic and commerce that flows through the Internet each day.
If you have not yet made this investment, you will fail Google's Mobile Friendly Test and therefore on the 21st April, Google will give preference ranking to your competitor (at least on mobile search, which averages around 60% of all online searches). Your competitor will then be listed above you in Google, impacting substantially on your SEO and in turn, the amount of business you generate. Ultimately, Google are encouraging a mass move to mobile, that’s if you haven’t already!
So what options do you have?
To pass Google's mobile friendly test, there are two options:
- Responsive Website - where the website loads ‘responsively’ on desktop, tablet or mobile. The website adjusts to the visitor's screen size.
- Mobile Website - where a separate mobile template loads for mobile only. This is usually applicable to e-commerce stores who are not yet ready to invest in a full revamp of their current desktop site.
So which type of website is best for you? Here are the highlights for both types of sites:
Mobile Site pros:
- Fully customized for mobile users
- Easier and cheaper to implement
Mobile Site cons:
- Recurring maintenance
- Will only work on one mobile screen size (i.e. 320px)
- Higher costs for updating the content, as it will have to be done on multiple websites
- Will also need to be re-worked to meet future browsers
Responsive Web Design pros:
- Highly flexible – one site works on all devices and screen sizes
- Lower maintenance costs as only one site is maintained
- Recommended configuration by google
- Can be a better ROI since most responsive sites won’t need much future maintenance in order to comply with new browsers
Responsive Web Design cons:
- A more expensive upfront cost
I would always recommend a responsive site over a mobile version. Although it is more expensive in the short term, the long term benefits of having one website that is accessible and optimised for mobile, tablet and desktop devices out ways this ten times over.
ABOUT KISS (www.kisscom.co.uk)
KISS is the creative agency that clarifies the complex. We are experts at immersing ourselves in the complex things you do to emerge with focus and clarity to create ideas that will worry your competition.
With specific and in-depth expertise in working in Science, Technology, Healthcare and FMCG our ability to cut through complexity and successfully deliver a single-minded proposition has been instrumental in us winning a fantastic range of blue chip, SME and disruptive start up clients.
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