The Latest in SEO: Your Need-to-Know SEO News Roundup (Week of 01/19/15)

This week Google made a strong push for website owners to make their sites mobile friendly, and we learned something new about peoples’ perception of the credibility of search listings.

I’ll explain in more detail throughout this post as I recap the top SEO news stories of the week.

Latest SEO News – Week Ending 01/23/15

Google Issues Warnings About Poor Search Rankings For Non-Mobile Sites

Google has been sending out emails to owners of non-mobile sites this week warning them that their search performance may be impacted in search results on mobile devices. The search giant is politely suggesting that if a site doesn’t display correctly on a mobile device, it will be ranked “appropriately” in mobile search results.

The fact that Google is sending out these emails is an indication of how serious the company is about prioritizing mobile-friendly sites when users are searching on their smartphone or tablet. That means as more searches are conducted via mobile devices you could be missing out on a lot of potential traffic if your site isn’t mobile-friendly.

If there’s one thing you do for your SEO this year it should be to convert your site to a design that displays and functions correctly on mobile devices. Don’t worry, it’s easier to do than you may think, especially if your site is built on a content management system like WordPress. Get in touch with your development team and ask them about responsive design.

Google Is Now A More Trusted Source Than Traditional Media

It was always known that people trust search results, but even I was surprised when I read this recent statistic. PR firm Edelman conducted a global survey of 27,000 people and found that 72% trust online search engine as a source of news and general information, while only 64% trust traditional media.

That essentially means people trust Google more than the pages it displays in its search results. That’s a huge revelation because it says a lot about how much faith people have in the results Google delivers. Showing up prominently in Google lends credibility to a site that it wouldn’t have otherwise.

Another way to look at it is people trust a search engine’s ability to give users an at-a-glance look at news and information from a variety of sources. Whatever the reason may be, the fact is people trust Google and the sites it delivers, so make sure yours is showing up.

Wrapping It Up

What we learned this week is that Google really wants site owners to convert their site to a mobile-friendly design, or be demoted in search results. And we know people trust Google more than any other source of news and information.

Weigh in on the week’s developments below.

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Pam Aungst

President & Chief Web Traffic Controller at Pam Ann Marketing

Recently named one of the “Top 10 Best Women in SEO,” Pam Ann Aungst, M.B.A. is widely recognized as an expert in SEO, PPC, Google Analytics, and WordPress. A self-proclaimed “geek”, Pam began studying computer programming at 6 years old, started creating websites in 1997 and has been working professionally in the field of e-commerce since 2005. Referred to by Sprout Social as a “Twitter Success Story,” she harnessed the power of social media to launch her own agency in 2011. Pam travels all over the country speaking at conferences and guest lecturing at universities. Click here to read her full bio.

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