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Consequences for Ignoring Mobile Web Design

We knew it would come–the time when mobile web design would take over. At the beginning of the year we predicted mobile 1st to be a top 2015 website design trend, and with recent changes by Google, it is surpassing trend status and quickly becoming a necessity. If your business already has a mobile web design, you may be ahead of the competition and your search engine ranking may have just improved a smidge. If not, your google ranking probably just took a hit.

Here’s why you need a mobile web design, the consequences for not being mobile-friendly, and how to verify if you are.

Mobile Search

Do you have a smartphone? Various sources including Tech Crunch and The Economist estimate that around 80% of adults do. People use their phones at home, at work, at school, in bed, at family functions, at restaurants and movies, and even while driving. Search is literally at our fingertips 24/7. This is how we do it today.

Using search engines is so ubiquitous, one could argue that “Googling” has officially replaced the concept of deep thinking. Most of us use Google, unless we happen to still carry a torch for Bing, Yahoo! or Baidu (the latter three each commanding only about 10% of the global market).

We don’t need to try different restaurants when we can skim the ratings on Urban Spoon or Yelp. We don’t feel tortured for long when we can’t remember what movie won the Best Picture Oscar that should have gone to Raging Bull in 1980. We don’t even need to go to the store to buy most things. Just Google it, right?

What Changed?

On April 21, 2015, Google changed its mobile algorithm. What this means: Google has added “mobile friendliness” to its list of over 200 signals that are factored into the ranking of results in an organic search. Sites that have mobile web design are favored in search rankings over sites that do not.

This isn’t the end of days, but what it does mean is that if your website isn’t formatted in a way that makes it easy to navigate with a finger rather than a mouse, then the time has come to seriously consider remedying that. Companies everywhere have been scrambling to make their web content mobile-friendly. Google reported a 4.7% uptick in mobile sites during the two months prior to the announcement. In the vast expanse of the Internet, that is a LOT of websites.

A quick checklist for using your website on a phone or tablet:

  1. Can the text be read easily on all screen sizes?
  2. Are navigation and other links spaced far enough apart to easily navigate with your finger?
  3. Do photos and other multimedia content display correctly?

If the answer to any of these questions is “No,” then it’s time to update. Mobile web design makes your site easy to see, read, and navigate from a smartphone or tablet, as well as a desktop. Even before Google changed its algorithm, it made sense to us that mobile searchers turn away from sites that aren’t compatible with the device they search from. Last month, Google made it official.

 

Find Out if Your Site is Mobile-friendly

For an easy check, click the link below and enter a URL to see if it passes!

Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test

If you passed, then congratulations, you have a leg up, provided your content is strong. Even if your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices yet, you may remain in the search game as long as your content is deemed helpful (entertaining, interactive, and the other 200+ signals) for searchers. Continue to give them what they’re looking for and searchers will continue to find you, for now, but begin to seek out the best avenue for optimizing your site.

 

Mobile Web Design Options

If your site is starting to show its age, there may be an updated version of your site’s theme. So, installing a theme update may be an option. At Jemully Media, we use WordPress for our sites and the themes we work with tend to receive semi-regular updates for minor improvements and bug fixes.

If your site is more than a few years old, and doesn’t have any available updates, a new site is probably your best option. Custom websites don’t have to break your bank. Jemully has brought companies into the mobile age with websites scaled to fit budgets. Websites serve as the central hub for successful brands. Social media is important too, but a capable and modern website should be the base.

Google’s recent algorithm change simply reinforces this truth: companies can no longer afford to resist mobile web design. While great content alone may keep you afloat for now, it can’t last much longer, and with the majority of today’s searches being done from smartphones, catering to mobile is the prudent business move. Mobile devices are certainly not declining in popularity, but websites that aren’t mobile-friendly are.

The time for ignoring the importance of mobile web design has passed, and the consequences are growing more certain. Mobile web design is officially a necessity.

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  1. The Services have a range of features and functionalities. Not all Services or features will be available to all Merchants at all times and we are under no obligation to make any Services or features available in any jurisdiction. Except where prohibited in these Terms of Service or by applicable law, we reserve the right to modify the Services or any part thereof for any reason, without notice and at any time.
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  2. You acknowledge and agree that the Services are not a marketplace, and any contract of sale made through the Services is directly between you and the customer. You are responsible for the content of your Jemully Charter site, the goods and services that you may offer, and all aspects of the transactions between you and your customer(s) via your Jemully Charter site.  You represent and warrant that your Jemully Charter site, your Materials and the goods and services you offer through will be true, accurate, and complete, and will not violate any applicable laws, regulations or rights of third parties.
    1. You are solely responsible for the goods or services that you may sell through the Services (including description, price, fees, tax that you calculate, defects, required legal disclosures, regulatory compliance, offers or promotional content), including compliance with any applicable laws or regulations.
    2. You may not use the Jemully Charter sites for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws), the laws applicable to you in your customer’s jurisdiction, or the laws of Canada and the Province of Ontario. You will comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations (including but not limited to obtaining and complying with the requirements of any license or permit that may be necessary to operate your store or that may be held by you) in your use of the Service and your performance of obligations under the Terms of Service.

5. Payment of Fees

  1. The subscription with Jemully Charter requires a minimum of twelve (12) months. Business owners who terminate their subscription prior to 12 months will have the payment method on file automatically charged for the remaining months that equal to twelve full months of service. plus a 15% early termination fee. 
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  1. You expressly understand and agree that, to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Jemully Charter and its suppliers will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses arising out of or relating to the use of or inability to use the Service or these Terms of Service (however arising, including negligence).
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8.1 Your Materials
  1. We do not claim ownership of the Materials you provide to Jemully Charter. You grant Jemully Charter a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to host, use, distribute, expose, modify, run, copy, store, publicly perform, communicate to the public (including by telecommunication), broadcast, reproduce, make available, display, and translate, and create derivative works of any Materials provided by you in connection with the Services. We may use our rights under this license to operate, provide, and promote the Services and to perform our obligations and exercise our rights under the Terms of Service. You represent, warrant, and agree that you have all necessary rights in the Materials to grant this license. You irrevocably waive any and all moral rights you may have in the Materials in favour of Jemully Charter and agree that this waiver may be invoked by anyone who obtains rights in the materials through Jemully Charter, including anyone to whom Jemully Charter may transfer or grant (including by way of license or sublicense) any rights in the Materials.
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  1. You agree that you may not use any trademarks, logos, or service marks of Jemully Charter, whether registered or unregistered.
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9. Jemully Charter Theme Sites

  1. You may establish the appearance of your Jemully Charter site with a design template from Jemully Charter’s Theme options. 
  2. Technical support for a Theme is the responsibility of the Jemully Charter, and the Business Owner may not modify the Theme. 

10. Termination

  1. The term of these Terms of Service will begin on the date of your completed registration for use of a Service and continue for a minimum of 12 months or until terminated by us or by you, as provided below (the “Term”).
  2. You may cancel your Account and terminate the Terms of Service at any time by contacting chartersites@jemully.com and then following the specific instructions indicated to you in Jemully Charter’s response.
  3. Without limiting any other remedies, we may suspend or terminate your Account or the Terms of Service for any reason, without notice and at any time (unless otherwise required by law), including if we suspect that you (by conviction, settlement, insurance or escrow investigation, or otherwise) have engaged in fraudulent activity in connection with the use of the Services. Termination of the Terms of Service will be without prejudice to any rights or obligations which arose prior to the date of termination.
  4. Upon termination of the Services by either party for any reason:
    1. Jemully Charter will cease providing you with the Services and you will no longer be able to access your Account;
    2. unless otherwise provided in the Terms of Service, you will not be entitled to any refunds of any Fees, pro rata or otherwise;
    3. any outstanding balance owed to Jemully Charter for your use of the Services through the effective date and including the completion of the 12-month required subscription and early termination fee, if applicable, of such termination will immediately become due and payable in full; and
    4. your Jemully Charter site will be taken offline.
  5. If you purchased a domain name through Jemully Charter, upon cancellation your domain will no longer be automatically renewed. Following termination, it will be your sole responsibility to handle all matters related to your domain with the domain provider.
  6. If there are any outstanding Fees owed by you at the date of termination of the Service, you will receive one final invoice via email. Once that invoice has been paid in full, you will not be charged again.

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