Let me be blunt: If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, your search engine rankings could suffer. For searches queried from a mobile device, Google now penalizes websites that aren’t mobile-friendly.    

Many factors explain why Google ranks mobile-friendly sites higher:

• Mobile devices now make up more than 50% of all local searches. Data released in February 2015 by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) provides great insight on where marketers are when it comes to measuring mobile ad revenue. 93% of US digital marketers polled in 2014 said they treated smartphone ad revenues as mobile vs. 83% in 2012.  -eMarketer 

• People are spending even more time online – and mobile devices are a major cause. In fact, since 2010 the average time an individual spends online has doubled. 91% of adults in the US own a mobile phone; 61% of those phones are smartphones. -SitePronews  

• If your company hasn't taken the plunge, you should know that Google has publicly stated its intent to make mobile-friendly websites standout in its search results. Google has always strived for the best user experience and, clearly, mobile-friendly websites are front and center when mobile search volume is starting to pull ahead of desktop search. -ClickZ 

RESPONSIVE DESIGN
The good news? Consultants such as yours truly at Thill Design can upgrade your website using HTML5-based responsive design. This can be accomplished through a total site rebuild using a jQuery user interface system accessible by all devices – smartphones, tablets, and desktops. See www.thilldesign.com for an example. Or, a liquid format responsive system for smartphones and tablets can be used, such as here: www.hkruegerdesign.com.

Be aware that the jQuery one-page website with a one-page-fits-all-format means you’ll present the very same content on all devices, from desktop to smart phone. On the other hand, the liquid design format switches from your content-intense desktop version to a separate pared-down smartphone or tablet-sized version, usually anything under 699 pixels wide.

DECISION MAKING TIME
Think about it: mobile users want information fast. It’s safe to assume they don’t want to plod through the myriad pages of content that are typical in a desktop-style site. For your mobile-friendly site, you’ll need to make some tough decisions. What’s the typical smartphone user most likely looking for? What’s your site’s most important content? 

But don’t worry: Thill Design can take the anguish out of those tough choices. We’ll tap into our decades of marketing experience to streamline your content and make sure the ever-growing group of smartphone and tablet users not only find you, but also like what they find.