Ignoring mobile is no longer an option

With an ever increasing proportion of website visitors surfing the web on a phone or tablet, considering mobile devices has been an increasingly important part of website design for the last few years. Changes to the way that Google ranks search results based on how a site displays on a mobile device mean that, whereas you could previously just about get away without catering for mobile devices, that's no longer an option.

In a recent blog post Google revealed changes coming to the way they rank search results which is have an impact on anybody who's website isn't mobile-friendly. 

With the changes to their search algorithm Google are expanding their use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. From April 21st, if your website isn't built for the wide range of devices now being used to access the web it'll be ranked below sites that are.

Those of us working in the web design industry have been able to watch the change over time, as site analytics slowly began to show the trend of more and more people accessing the web using mobile devices - first mobile phones and then in tablets. 

Another noticeable change in recent years has been that instead of having to sell the concept of a mobile-ready site to clients, they've begun to mention it early on in discussions.

It doesn't end there though - the increase in mobile device use has been massive, but there's a whole new range on internet-connected devices emerging. From games consoles and smart TVs to smartwatches and health devices - there's no knowing what type of device your site's visitors will be using.

Luckily, responsive web design techniques mean that you can have a website which will work just as well on any device and not be effected by the changes that Google are making to their search algorithm.

Get in touch if you'd like to discuss how you can ensure that your website is designed to work across any device.