Google wants to see responsive websites

In recent weeks and months, Google has pointed out in several sources that the search engine now prioritizes websites for mobile devices. Google clearly recommends responsive websites - i.e. websites that are able to adapt to the respective end device. We show how much Google is "waving the fence post".

Step 1: Publication of new Google webmaster guidelines

The preference for so-called responsive websites was kicked off by Google when an employee published on Google Plus on 27.10.2014 and at the same time in the Google Webmaster Guidelines [1] that CSS and JavaScript files should no longer be excluded in the robots.txt file (note: a control file in a web space for search engine indexing).

Background to this action: Since May of this year, Google no longer emulates a pure text browser, but emulates modern browsers that use JavaScript and CSS for the design and use of websites - especially with regard to responsive websites. Since October 27, 2014, Google has been requesting website operators to no longer explicitly block these file types and has used the rather drastic words "By blocking the crawling of CSS and JavaScript, you are actively harming the indexing of pages".

Step 2: Google Pagespeed - no longer likes redirects

Back in April of this year, Google pointed out in its "Pagespeed Insights" [2] guidelines for website loading times that so-called "target page redirects" should be avoided in future, meaning that variants such as "m.shopname.de" or "mobil.shopname.de" will no longer be used for the publication of mobile websites. Google sees such special mobile websites as still "acceptable" and clearly recommends "Follow Google's recommendation and use responsive web design to automatically avoid redirects on your website."

Step 3: Publication of the "For mobile devices" labels

This was followed in November 2014 by the introduction of the "For mobile devices" label [3] within Google's search results. If you search for certain terms on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, you will receive a hit list with the most relevant entries as before. What's new, however, is that Google is marking responsive websites by displaying the label "For mobile devices" [3a] in addition to the search hit. This gives the smartphone user another clear indication of the optimized display for their device.

Step 4: Google sends warning emails and declares non-responsive websites as faulty

In mid/late January 2015, Google took a rather drastic step by sending an email [4] to website operators who had registered in Google Webmaster Tools, informing them that their website was not designed for mobile devices. The subject of the email alone, "Fix mobile usability issues on ...", shows how serious Google is about the topic of "Responsive Web Design". In the further course of the email, Google talks about"critical errors in terms of user-friendliness on mobile devices" and points out that the pages in Google Search are"not classified as optimized for mobile devices".

Further evidence

In addition to the steps outlined above, Google has introduced further measures to promote the development of responsive websites in the future:

Google "Go Mobile" campaign

Originally published in 2011, Google's "Go Mobile" campaign was supplemented in April 2014 with special recommendations for website developers. These"Principles of Mobile Site Design" [5] are a summary of 25 principles to enable website visitors to have the most positive experience possible on their website.

Google Partner Kick-Off with a focus on "Responsive Web"

As part of the partner event held in January 2015, the importance of responsive websites was once again discussed in a presentation. Here too, the 25 principles for the development of mobile websites mentioned above were reiterated and it was clearly stated that Google wants to see responsive websites in the future.

Consideration of cross-device tracking in Google Analytics

Also at the partner event in January 2015, Google pointed out that it is now possible to use Google Analytics to track cross-device conversions, e.g. purchases in an online store, and thus track sales in relation to campaigns [6].

The answer to this question lies in the fact that Google has determined that there are several trends in the use of the Internet today and presented these at the Google Partner Event:

• In the past, desktop PCs were virtually only one type of device. Due to the spread of smartphones, mobile devices and especially smartphones are now the preferred wayto obtain information.
  
• Smartphones are mainly used in the morning hours to obtain information, e.g. as part of research for a booking or a purchase. During the day, the user then switches device type more frequently [7] and ultimately makes a booking, purchase, etc. on a desktop PC.
  
• Mobile devices also support purchases in traditional, brick-and-mortar stores with functions such as store locators, price comparisons, click-to-call, test research and much more. In addition, there is increased interaction with retailers and website operators via social media (facebook, twitter, swarm, pinterest, youtube, etc.). [8]

Conclusion

Even if Google is not (yet) publicly stating that traditionally programmed websites will be penalized in the rankings, the large number of indications listed above ultimately suggest this measure. In the past, Google has already practiced this several times with outdated technologies, such as frameset websites, websites with table layouts or pure Flash websites. Ultimately, there is no way around a responsive website or a responsive online store these days.

Update from 26.2.2015:

Google has now officially confirmed on 26.2.2015 that from April 21, 2015,"Mobile-Friendly Sites" will now be given preference in search results. Google speaks of "significant impactin our search results" [9], i.e. from April 21, 2015, responsive websites will be given preferential treatment in the search results.

Update from 21.4.2015:

Google has since rolled out the announced "Mobile Friendly Update" [10] and cleared up some ambiguities in the Google Webmasterblog, where it also answered the most important questions directly in the existing FAQ [11]. Below is our German interpretation and translation of the most important FAQs (no. 1-9):

1. is the ranking in Google search results also affected on desktop or tablets?

No, the Google update from April 21, 2015, has no influence on the search results on tablets or desktop computers. It affects all mobile devices in all languages and countries. Note web-vision:Check the visits from mobile devices in your website statistics programs such as Google Analytics or Piwik. If you already have a large number of visits from mobile devices and do not have a responsive website, there is an urgent need for action.

2. is the mobile ranking increased at website level or at page level?

The ranking change only takes place at page level. Example: If only 10 individual pages within your website have been optimized for mobile devices, the search results for these 10 pages will be positively influenced.

3. how do I know if Google thinks my website is mobile friendly or suitable?

Individual pages can be checked via Google's "Mobile Friendly Test" [12]. Google also offers a "Mobile Usability Report" within Google Webmaster Tools, which can be used to analyze entire websites.

4 Unfortunately, my mobile-friendly website will not be ready until after April 21. How long will it take for it to be considered mobile friendly for ranking purposes?

Every time a website is crawled (indexed) by Google, it checks whether the website is optimized for mobile devices. You don't have to wait for another update from Google, once a website is optimized for mobile, you can wait for the Googlebot for smartphones to re-index the page. You can also request that the website be crawled again or, if you have a large number of pages, submit them via a sitemap within Webmaster Tools.

5. since the Google "mobile-friendly update" was rolled out on 21.4.2015 and I can't see a drop in the number of visits to my website on 22.4, does this mean that the ranking of my website is not affected?

Although Google started rolling out the update on April 21, 2015, it will take about a week for all changes to be processed in the Google index. You will therefore not be able to say for sure on April 22 whether you are affected by the changes.

6 I have a great mobile website, but Google's "Mobile Friendly Test" tells me that my website is not mobile friendly. Why?

If a website that has been optimized for mobile devices does not pass the "Mobile Friendly Test", it is probably because the indexing of relevant content, such as CSS or JavaScript, has been blocked by the Googlebot for smartphones. To remedy this, proceed as follows:

• Check whether the Mobile Friendly Check shows blocked content. As a guide, take a look at the rendering of the site in the check.
  
• Allow the Googlebot to crawl the necessary content
  
• Check the result again with the Mobile Friendly Check
  
• Request Google to crawl the website again and submit your updated robots.txt to Google (or wait for Google to reindex).

7 What happens if I link to a website that is not "mobile-friendly"?

Your site can still be mobile-friendly even if you link to a non-mobile-friendly site, such as a site specifically designed for large screens like desktop PCs. However, it is not the best visitor experience to link from a mobile-friendly site to a desktop only site. However, as the number of mobile-friendly sites increases, this will become less of a problem.

8. does Google give responsive websites a better mobile-friendly ranking than websites that have separate mobile versions of the website?

When ranking for mobile-friendly websites, Google does not differentiate whether the website is delivered via responsive web design (RWD), separate mobile URLs (e.g. m.google.com) or via dynamic URLs. However, if your site is to be delivered via separate mobile URLs or dynamic delivery, Google recommends checking and considering the Mobile SEO Guidelines.

9. will my website / page disappear from the mobile search results if it is not "mobile-friendly"?

Although the Google Mobile Friendly Update is important for search, Google uses a variety of features to rank search results. The actual intent of the search query is still a very strong signal for the results displayed. If your site has quality content but is not "mobile-friendly", you can still rank highly for search queries - as long as the content is relevant to the search queries.

Sources: [1]

Webmaster Technical Guidelines Update Google Webmaster Central Blog [2]

Avoid landing page redirects Google PageSpeed Insights [3]

Mobile site search support Google Webmaster Central Blog [3a] Screenshot "For mobile" label [4] Screenshot "Fix mobile usability issues" [5]

Principles of Mobile Site Design: Delight Users and Drive Conversions Google Go Mobile Campaign [6] Screenshot "Tracking cross-device conversions" [7] Screenshot "How does the user switch devices..." [8] Screenshot "Mobile devices create new paths..." [9]

Finding more mobile-friendly search results - Google Webmaster Central Blog [10]

Rolling out the mobile-friendly update - Google Webmaster Central Blog [11]

FAQs about the April 21st mobile-friendly update - Google Webmaster Central Blog [12]

Google Mobile Friendly Test