As the web continues to evolve from a traditional desktop environment to a mobile one, blogs, websites, brands and institutions are all seeking to adapt to changing times. Search engines in particular have been making great strides in order to adjust to these changing times for the past couple of years; many brands have already felt the effects of an ever-increasing series of mobile requirements in order to dominate. Many were shell-shocked when Google announced plans for a major mobile update – which is more comprehensive than Panda or Penguin – and its deployment hit the web just a few days ago. Below, we’ll talk about some tips you need to implement in order to avoid any additional negative consequences across mobile devices.

Review Your Existing Status

Websites (more specifically, individual pages) that are pinging search engines with sufficient mobile optimization will not face any penalties in mobile searches with Google’s newest update. If your site lacks the key elements necessary for a pleasant mobile browsing experience, however, then expect to see your website fall behind in search. How can you quickly assess whether or not you meet Google’s criteria? Google has created a test specifically for this assessment, known as the Mobile-Friendly Test. Using it is simple enough: put in your website URL, and Google will quickly determine whether the site is mobile-friendly. If the site fails the test, then the tool will provide details on which specific problems exist. It also will let you know broadly speaking how to correct the problems in a rapid fashion so that you do not continue to miss out on mobile traffic.

Make Your Content Stick Out

Especially on mobile devices, users are always being bombarded with a variety of ads and large text. How exactly can your message stick out above the rest if the language is boring or generic? Keep in mind that your search listing is competing not only against other search listings, but also against all of the other forms of media – smartphone apps, email and other web-based content – that people view on a daily basis. The ease at which someone’s attention span can be diverted on mobile devices is incredible, so having eye-grabbing headlines and metadata is essential for locking in someone’s attention and bringing them to your website. You can accomplish this by teasing them with what they can expect, being clear about what they will find and using emotion to appeal to their senses depending on the situation.

Make Your Content Digestible

Google’s new update for mobile search isn’t just about algorithms that determine where you rank in search, but it also measures how people feel about your content. While pinging search engines with optimized headlines and keywords still is important, content that is not in a mobile-friendly format with respect to readability will lead to poor long-term performance. People tend to digest information differently on mobile devices than they do on desktop computers, so be sure that your content can bridge this gap effectively. If not, then your bounce rates, conversion rates and a variety of other metrics will suffer – some of which will hurt your standing with Google.

By ensuring that your content is easily absorbed in a mobile format, giving it the ability to really stand out from other competitors’ offerings, and ensuring that your overall website is up to Google’s new mobile standards, you’ll be able to weather this brand new storm that is Google’s “Mobilegeddon”.