Google has recognized that more people are spending more time and doing more things on their mobile devices, so they’ve put a website’s mobile-friendliness into their ranking algorithms for search results. Designing your website to be mobile friendly also ensures that your pages will perform well on all devices and screen sizes, and is considered a critical part of your online presence. Google has found that the amount of smartphone traffic now exceeds desktop traffic in many countries.

If you’re not sure if your website is mobile-friendly, you can utilize Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool. This easy-to-use tool allows you to enter any website page’s URL, and you’re able to see what that page looks like to a mobile user. If there is a redirect on the website, the tool will follow it.

Using the Google Mobile-Friendly Test Tool generally takes the test less than a minute to complete. When viewing the results of the test, you’ll be able to see a screenshot of what the page looks like on a mobile device. Below the screenshot, additional results will show a list of any mobile usability problems. Web Rocket Media has identified six elements that make up the majority of mobile usability problems.

Incompatible Plugins

Plugins like flash are not generally supported by most mobile browsers. Web Rocket Media recommends a web design that uses broadly-supported web technologies like HTML5.

Viewport not set

Viewports tell browsers how to scale and adjust the page’s dimensions. If there isn’t a viewport set, the pages won’t load correctly on a mobile device.

Viewport not set to device-width

Probably worse than the viewport not being set at all is if the viewport isn’t set to the device width, which means that the website can’t adjust to the different sizes.

Content wider than the screen

If you need to scroll horizontally to see all the words and images on a website, it’s not mobile-friendly. This happens when the site is built with absolute value.

Text is too small to read

A website is considered to not be mobile friendly if the user needs to “pinch to zoom” so they can read the words on the site. Once a viewport is set, you should also make sure the font sizes scale properly within the viewport.

Clickable elements are too close together

Any elements that require touch, like buttons, input fields, or navigational links shouldn’t be so close to each other that a user on a mobile device can’t tap what they want without also tapping another element.

If you’re looking to build a website that is responsive and mobile-friendly, or upgrade your existing one, contact Web Rocket Media today.

The post How to Check if a Website is Mobile Friendly appeared first on Web Rocket Media.

One of the biggest questions that is frequently asked about Google My Business is whether or not it’s worth it. The short answer is yes, without a doubt; however, we should explain a little bit.

When it comes to being successful with Google, there will be three main areas to focus on — paid advertising, SEO, and Google My Business. A healthy balance of all three should be every business’ goal, but Google My Business holds one advantage over the other two — it’s free marketing.

Paid advertising is effective; however, it’s going to cost money in order to see a return. SEO could be free if you were doing all the work yourself, but that’s rarely the case. Either way, it will take time to see quality results with SEO, and time is money in the business world.

What Does Google My Business Display?

If that doesn’t convince you to at least pay a little more attention to your Google My Business page, then hopefully this will give you enough reason.

With Google My Business, you’ll have three opportunities to be seen at no cost. First, you can show up in Google Maps when users are searching in the nearby area. Second, you can show up in the Google Knowledge Panel when users search for your business through Google. Last but not least, you can show up in the Local Pack — the three businesses that appear when users perform a localized search.

It doesn’t matter where you appear, you’ll be able to show off photos of your business, hours of operation, contact information, general information about your business, and customer reviews/ratings.

Benefits of Google My Business

Utilizing Google My Business is a no-brainer for any business, there is no doubt about that. It will provide a wide range of benefits and with the platform not costing you anything, the return on investment is huge.

Here are just some of the benefits you’ll receive with proper Google My Business management:

• Increased web presence and organic visitors
• Ability to share important information with potential and returning customers
• Allow customers the opportunity to message your business directly via a phone call, text message, or email
• Show off your amazing reviews that give potential customers an incentive to invest in your business
• Again, it’s free marketing!

There’s a lot to love about Google My Business; however, it can be difficult to manage for a business owner that doesn’t have a lot of time in their schedule.

If you’re looking for extra help with your Google My Business page, are interested in getting one set up the right way, or need assistance maintaining it on a daily basis, Web Rocket Media is ready to serve you.

We have a team of professionals ready to manage your page and ensure it delivers the results you’ve been waiting for. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you!

References

“Google My Business – Drive Customer Engagement on Google.” Google, Google, www.google.com/business/.

“Google Shopping Recommendation Use Data – Think with Google.” Google, Google, www.thinkwithgoogle.com/data/google-shopping-recommendation-use-data/.

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