MobileAgeddon – Mobilegeddon Happening Again?
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March 24, 2016
Last week, Google posted an update to their Webmaster Central Blog announcing a mobile algorithm update rolling out in May of this year. The update is said to increase the effect of the mobile-friendly ranking signal in order to “help users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly.”
Google goes on to explain that if you’ve already made your site mobile-friendly, you shouldn’t worry:
“If you’ve already made your site mobile-friendly, you will not be impacted by this update.”
If you missed Mobilegeddon last year, I’m impressed. It was a big deal in the digital marketing industry and a very real example of how neglecting your online presence can impact your business.
With that said, the fallout from Mobilegeddon was lackluster at best. Mockingbird can’t be the only SEO/digital marketing company that is feeling like a boy cried wolf.
Needless to say, we will be keeping a close eye on the impacts of this pending update and assess whether or not we can ever trust that boy again…
Is Mobile-Friendly That Important in Legal?
YES! In case you’re still not convinced that having a mobile-friendly/responsive website isn’t important despite Google making such a fuss, than consider this:
According to ComScore, people using a regular ol’ desktop computer to search peaked in 2013. Each following year, desktop searches have declined. I can’t imagine someone getting in a car accident, receiving a DUI, or seeking legal advice regarding a terrible work situation waiting until they make it home to start looking for a lawyer. Not to mention the effort involved in firing up the old Gateway computer (they don’t make those anymore) to start hammering on a mechanical keyboard (they do still make those) to find the perfect attorney.
I can, however, imagine them pulling out their awesome new Galaxy S7 Edge (which they haven’t turned off since buying it) to do a quick mobile search and call directly from the SERPs.
Overall vs. Google Desktop Search Volume in US (MM)
Graph Source: SEL | Data Source: ComScore
Final Thoughts on the May Mobile Update
If your legal website is responsive, give yourself a pat on the back. If it’s not, there’s no time like the present to make you and your law firm more accessible to the people trying to find you. If you need help, we’re happy to chat: 206-209-2125.
Now, if I were a bettin’ man I would put money on the possibility that Google might roll-out a similar update for a more secured web…