How to fix Google mobile-friendly site problems
Today, mobile devices are the primary means by which users interact with websites and brands online. Long gone are the days when all you needed to do was make a visually appealing desktop version of a website.
When you’re building a website that will work on various screen sizes you can run into a variety of issues with the text size, content box margins, plug-ins, or even a mobile design that isn’t responsive. Given that mobile devices account for more than half of all internet traffic worldwide, your website must be optimized for mobile use. There are also SEO reasons for making your website as mobile-friendly as possible.
Needless to say, if you come across mobile site problems they’ll need to be fixed ASAP. Here’s a quick look at why page responsiveness is essential for Google ranking and how to fix common mobile-friendly site issues.
Why mobile-friendly websites are important
Being mobile-friendly is a central part of any good online marketing strategy. Given that mobile devices are how the majority of people access websites, the mobile version of your website will likely generate the most leads. Since the customer journey often starts on mobile devices, it’s extremely important to ensure your site is 100% mobile-friendly. Having a poor experience on a mobile device can limit opportunities and kill conversions before they’ve even been initiated.
In addition to user experience, being mobile-friendly is also crucial for search ranking. Google carefully examines the speed at which mobile pages load and prioritizes mobile sites over desktop versions. It’s one of the most significant factors for determining page rank.
Mobile optimization is essential if you want to maintain or improve your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). In addition, having a website optimized for mobile devices can help support remarketing efforts.
How to fix Google mobile-friendly site issues
If your website fails the mobile-friendly test, this error message appears:
It’s not a welcome site, but it’s a sign that improvements can be made to make your website better for users and search engines. When you have mobile-friendly site problems here’s what to do:
- Use a theme that’s compatible with mobile devices. Responsive designs are ideal because they automatically adjust the screen dimensions depending on what device is being used.
- Review the site’s content by accessing it from your mobile device. This will give you a much better idea of how to make the content easier to read on various devices. You may need to adjust the format or make the font larger to improve readability.
- If you’re utilizing pop-up windows, they may be the same size for both the mobile and desktop versions of the website. In this particular instance, the pop-up window will prevent your page from becoming responsive and displaying correctly. If you’re going to use pop-up windows they must be mobile-friendly across devices. Here’s a good video tutorial on how to make pop-up windows responsive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoHn6kz91jg
- If the viewport meta tag is absent from your website it needs to be added. You can add it by inserting the following code in the section that falls between the <head> and /head> section:
Final word on fixing Google mobile-friendly site issues
One of the most common mistakes companies make is designing their website for desktops and then attempting to resize them for mobile devices. Unfortunately, using this method will not result in an intuitive experience and the website performance won’t be mobile-friendly. Instead, the better solution is to design your site with the needs and limitations of all devices in mind. Doing so will result in a mobile-friendly website that provides a consistent, highly optimized experience across all devices.
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