On April 21, 2015 Google went public with a change to their algorithm that sent website users into a panic. As of this date, it was reported mobile-friendly websites would rank better than non-mobile optimized websites.
According to MOZ a leading source of Google algorithm information “In a rare move, Google pre-announced an algorithm update, telling us that mobile rankings would differ for mobile-friendly sites starting on April 21st. ”
Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. Since the majority of users now access Google Search with a mobile device, Googlebot primarily crawls and indexes pages with the smartphone agent going forward. If your website is one of the original looks or the “Kuni 920 widescreen” template (see below for examples) your search rankings are being negatively affected. The solution is to update to a mobile-ready responsive template.
Realtor® websites are viewed more often on mobile devices than many industries so a responsive design that renders perfectly on iPads, iPhones and other handheld devices will give a Realtor an advantage.
For the past three years, Limelight exclusively designs and publishes Responsive designs using the Ubertor CMS.
Updating Older Templates (like below) to The Mobile-Ready Responsive Template
Limelight specializes in updating older Ubertor templates to the mobile-ready, responsive templates and after updating dozens of website we have developed “best practices” to minimize the downtime. While the site is unavailable we add a Splash page announcing the website will be new, improved and live at a prescribed time encouraging visitors to return to see the new look.
If you visit this page by clicking here, you can get an idea of the improvement you can expect. You can also go to our Portfolio by click here and then clicking on Website Before and Afters. (Sorry we can’t provide a direct link.)
Here is a sneak peek of a Before and After.
Older Ubertor Templates
Original Ubertor Template
Kuni 920 Widescreen