Scheduled to take effect on April 21st 2015 this update is expected to have a dramatic effect on websites who haven’t yet updated their website to be mobile responsive. This new update will start using mobile-friendly compliance as a ranking factor in smartphone search.
“Because global web traffic from mobile devices is on the rise, and recent studies show that mobile visitors are more likely to revisit mobile friendly sites, mobile usability is now relevant for optimal search results. Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results” – Google
Not only does not having a mobile friendly website affect your organic search rankings but also on average mobile search makes up for 30% of a typical websites total traffic, regardless of industry. And for some, it is more than half and growing. Source – SEO Clarity. This makes mobile a priority, even without the update, to ensure that you can deliver the best user experience to your customers and keep them coming back to you time after time.
Useful resources:
Not sure if your site is mobile friendly? Use the Google Mobile Friendly Test to find out!
You can also check out Google’s new section in Webmaster Tools, Mobile Usability to check for any issues mobile users might be seeing across your website.
Site speed also affects your ranking factor both for mobile and desktop so you may wish to optimise your site by using Google’s Page Speed Insight tool.