Since the big Google "Mobilegeddon" on April 21st, many website owners are wanting to get their sites compliant with Google's new mobile-responsive algorithm. A word of caution, though. Mobile-friendly and mobile-responsive sites are not created equal.
A few years back, it was an acceptable practice to add a mobile plugin to WordPress websites. The web designer would choose a mobile theme and the plugin would automatically switch to that theme when it detected that the viewer was using their mobile device. That was called "mobile-friendly".
Fast forward to today and web designers are creating sites that will automatically format to whatever mobile device the viewer is using. For instance, if I'm at home and type your URL into my laptop, your mobile-responsive website automatically formats to fit my laptop's screen. Likewise, if I'm driving by a house with a for sale sign out front, I'll be able to type your website's URL into my iPhone and have it correctly formatted to that device. That's "mobile-responsive".
Since having a mobile-responsive website makes the viewing experience better for your visitors, Google's new algorithm reward those website owners with better ranking.
Your goal is to have a website that creates a focused and engaging experience for your visitors. Equally important is to make sure your website automatically detects and formats to whatever mobile device it's being viewed on. Only a mobile-responsive site can do this. Getting better Google ranking is a bonus!
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