Mobile Algo April 21st: Real Time And Page By Page Basis

[aakk9999]

Barry Schwartz, reporting from SMX West, said Gary Illyes of Google had stated that the new Mobile Algo will be page based and will kick in a 'real time'. Barry said:

This mobile-friendly algorithm doesn't seem to be run like Penguin where it is site-wide, impacting the whole entire site. It also doesn't appear to run in spurts or periodically like Penguin or the page-layout algorithm. So even if you do not have the time and resources to get your whole site mobile-friendly by April 21st, you should be able to do the most important pages first and work your way through the rest as soon as you can. The Google Mobile Algorithm Is Real-Time & On The Page Level [seroundtable.com]

And further, Google is currently using desktop factors and signals for mobile results, but, Barry says that according to Google's Gary Illyes:

...someone, somewhere at Google is playing around with the idea of using a separate mobile-friendly index for mobile results.

Interestingly, just a few days ago Neil (engine) predicted diversification of Mobile and Desktop SERPs in his Opening Post of the Google's Knowledge Graph:Knowledge-Based Trust: Estimating the Trustworthiness of Web Sources [webmasterworld.com] thread (emphasis mine):

We're just reaching a new phase in search, imho: These include new ranking signals of knowledge-based trust, and the expansion of Google's Knowledge Graph into other sectors, and the diversification of desktop and smartphone SERPs, which, up until now, have been very similar...

If going responsive or developing a mobile site is too big / too expensive task right now, perhaps you should convert your most important pages to mobile - you have 6 weeks until 21st of April!

[EditorialGuy]

Is there any consensus among those who follow this closely whether websites that are not quite ready to be mobile-friendly due to time restrictions in the necessary and inevitable conversion will be hit for non-mobile search results?

Here's what Google said:

"Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches."

Seems pretty clear to me.

[honestman]

Thank you @EditorialGuy re: impact of search on mobile-only.

I have read summaries from other sources that seemed to muddy the waters, but you are correct to cite the source -- even if from my experience since Panda any absolute statements are subject to substantial side-effects or change.

[keyplyr]

impact of search on mobile-only.

More correctly... "impact will be on mobile-search only" but I wouldn't count on that to be the only impact of the latest announcement. A repositioning of SERP in all platforms will surely develop over time w/ mobile-friendly being an unavoidable component IMO.

[EditorialGuy]

A repositioning of SERP in all platforms will surely develop over time w/ mobile-friendly being an unavoidable component IMO.

Search always evolves. A few years from now, Google could be favoring certain types of content for desktop/laptop/tablet users and other types for mobile users. That would make sense, if user metrics showed that people interact with different types of devices in different ways. Who knows--maybe, by 2018, responsive layouts will be viewed as 2015-era kludges, and site owners with deep pockets will be developing different content for each platform. But for now, why make rash decisions based on idle speculation about the future? To paraphrase George H.W. Bush, "Read Google's lips."

[keyplyr]

But for now, why make rash decisions based on idle speculation about the future?

What do you interpret as "rash decisions?" Coding sites to be mobile-responsive isn't rash. The whole point of being "responsive", if properly done, is that the site display/performance responds to all devices, so no matter what Google favors in the future won't depend on what platform your site requires. Obviously trends will come and go, that's irrelevant. This threads concerns mobile-friendly importance.

[diberry]

Also, phones will be evolving, and their data networks too. Hard to say where things will stand in a few years.

[EditorialGuy]

What do you interpret as "rash decisions?" Coding sites to be mobile-responsive isn't rash.

Perhaps not, but rushing into it or throwing money at it might be, depending on the site owner's needs, budget, and priorities. See Honestman's post (which suggests a rational, as opposed to rash, view of his specific situation).