How often do you use your phone to find information? Maybe you use it when you’re out in a new neighborhood and you’re looking for restaurant recommendations or online menus. Or, maybe you use it at the grocery store to pull up a food blog to find exactly what was in that dish you thought looked amazing. It’s incredible the amount of information we can access at a moment’s notice, and it’s noticeable when that information is hard to view or interpret. Today, Google Search is rolling out an update that will make this process even easier.

We’ve talked about responsive web-design, or designing for display on a variety of platforms, and how important it is to be accessible to your customers in whichever way they want. A responsive website is a wonderful asset on its own, but beginning today, Google will be rolling out a change that will reinforce the importance of responsive web-design.

“To make it easier for people to find the information that they’re looking for, we’re adding a ‘mobile-friendly’ label to our mobile search results.”

If your website is optimized or well-designed for display on a mobile device, your page will be tagged “mobile-friendly” in search results. Additionally, Google is “experimenting with using the mobile-friendly criteria as a ranking signal.” The goal of this update, and the goal of responsive web-design, is to facilitate the best mobile web experience for the user.

You’re probably wondering how you can be sure you’ll be getting that tag. A page is eligible for this tag once its been proven to meet the following criteria:

• The website is free of software that is not common on mobile devices, like Flash
• The text on any given page is readable without zooming
• Content fits the screen; users don't have to scroll horizontally or zoom
• Links are far enough apart that selecting one is possible

 Your business is unique and the information you can offer to customers is one-of-a-kind. Make sure your customers can access it.

Is your website mobile-friendly? Is it optimized for display on a variety of platforms? Contact us today for a review of your web properties.