Last month Google announced that it would be making changes to its algorithms that will affect smart-phone Internet search results. This will not come as good news for some, with just 6% of Fortune 100 companies reported to have websites with the mobile-capabilities to benefit from these changes.
Google’s algorithm change means that search results conducted on mobile devices will now rank mobile-compatible sites ahead of those that are not, significantly reducing traffic to sites without mobile compatibility. For companies that do have mobile-friendly websites however, this news will be welcomed.
InterQuest Group plc, a leading IT and Analytics focused organisation, is currently close to the completion of a major rebranding project that has seen it invest significant resources into the creation of its new web pages. With the Group - that consists of 16-niche recruitment companies - the project has been a very large undertaking, effectively calling for the creation of 16 new websites. Fortunately prior to commencement in January, those driving the project quickly recognized that mobile-compatibility would be a vital element for the new sites. InterQuest's Sales and Marketing Director, Paul Sharpe commented:
''The developments Google are making are certainly a big step forwards for mobile Internet browsing. The re-launch of the InterQuest Group site in February 2013 saw an increase of 60% in mobile-device traffic to the site. Since Google released the latest algorithm last month, our sites’ mobile-device traffic has gone up by 100% compared to the previous months. We've always been mindful of how our audience interacts with us, so we recognised the need to make our company websites accessible - however our visitors choose to access them. ''
The announcement from Google illustrates the increasing importance of the mobile device in internet usage generally, though it may come as a shock for those organisations that will see a negative impact on their website's SEO as a result. The importance of Google as the world's most popular search engine - claiming over 30% of global search traffic in 2012 - further underlines the impact that this change will have. In the announcement from Google the observation was made that:
''Smartphone users are a significant and fast growing segment of Internet users, and (at Google) we want them to experience the full richness of the web. To improve the search experience for Smartphone users and address their pain points, we plan to roll out several ranking changes in the near future that address sites that are misconfigured for Smartphone users.''
The observations made in the case of InterQuest’s mobile website strengthen the point made by on-line job board CV Library, when they recently released a report observing that 56% of UK job seekers use mobile browsing in their job search. Google’s algorithm changes, then, are sure to have a great affect on mobile job searching as a whole.
Tom Frew, director of Explosive Titles, the digital agency behind the InterQuest Group’s online presence noted:
‘’Google's influence on internet global usage is very well known, they record almost double the number of searches globally to their nearest competitor. Throughout this major rebranding project, we have had the full support and a great level of understanding from InterQuest of the importance of making a website that is accessible and compatible with all devices. The project utilises fully responsive sites right across the group with a strong focus on mobile devices. I am pleased to learn that we were ahead of Google's plans when it came to this announcement.''