Get All Access for $5/mo

A Friendly Reminder to Make Sure Your Site Is Mobile-Friendly by Tomorrow Starting April 21, Google will incorporate a site's mobile-friendliness into its ranking algorithm.

By Laura Entis

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Pixabay

Google is about to shake up the way its search algorithm ranks websites. Starting Tuesday, mobile-friendly websites – ones equipped with easily clickable links and text that resizes to fit the screen it's viewed on, among other features -- will rank higher than sites that aren't mobile-friendly when users search for something from a smartphone or tablet.

The changes in search ranking won't be subtle, either. In a blog post announcing the changes, Google promises that they will "have a significant impact in our search results."

Google announced this change back in February. The end result, Google says, is to make it easier for users "to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices."

With more than 60 percent of search traffic pouring in from mobile, small businesses – especially ones dependent on local search – need to ensure they've made the necessary changes so that their sites aren't penalized by Google's new ranking system.

Google has provided companies with a guide to creating mobile-friendly websites as well as a test to see whether or not pages pass its mobile-friendly bar.

Related: April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Business News

Y Combinator Helped Launch Reddit, Airbnb and Dropbox. Here's What I Learned From Its Free Startup School.

The famed startup accelerator offers a free course on building a business — and answers five pressing questions for founders.