Eagle eyed AdSense publishers have been calling in this week as a result of a new notification in their AdSense dashboard. The notification simply reads “Your site’s mobile-friendliness is now considered as a Google Search ranking signal” and offers no further explanation when you click on it.
Some publishers have been taking this as congratulation, others as a warning. It looks though like neither is correct.
The notification appears to just be informational and to be a general message to all publishers. We’ve checked accounts where we know that all sites are mobile-friendly and accounts where none are. The message doesn’t differ between accounts, although we are not seeing it on some newer, low traffic accounts.
The message relates to Google’s recent update to mobile search results (See “How much AdSense revenue will the mobile update cost you?”) . This update aims to make search results friendlier to users of mobile devices by favouring those sites that pass 4 simple mobile-friendliness criteria.
The message appears to just be an extra reminder for anyone who is not aware of the changes. Mobile traffic is continuing to grow and it is in the interests of AdSense and publishers alike to ensure that our sites are mobile friendly.
If you would like to talk to one of our experts about what the mobile update might mean for your site just click on the green bar below to get in touch.
Ovidiu Curic says
Thanks for the update.
I would like to know also how to make my website mobile friendly so it would rank well in google search
Mat Bennett says
Hi Ovidiu, Hard to cover that in a comment, but it might be something that we blog about soon. I’ll put the idea forward
The Ceej says
Ignore Google’s message entirely. “Mobile friendly” is a malicious misnomer. It’s a code word for, “Broken functionality.” You don’t want it.
The Ceej says
What the hell does Google know about mobile-friendliness? My website fails across the board according to THEIR bullshit tests, but my website is objectively WAY better than theirs across the board in every way. MY website is PRAISED and it’s fully functional on mobile. Google is no no position to judge websites on ANY criteria, especially mobile friendliness, since they deliberately BREAK their websites on mobile and they’re not going to get away with trying to break mine.
I’m going to start cheating in rankings if this affects my rankings in any way. I’ll consider it leveling the playing field,
Mat Bennett says
Every site owner is of course free to take whatever approach they deem right for that. I did take a look at your site on a couple of mobile devices and I would say that you might not want to be too quick to discard the advice.
The Ceej says
Take a quick look at Google’s sites. Agreed? Mine is way more compatible?
I’m not going to break my website’s functionality for better Google rankings. If you’re looking at my website on mobile devices, you’re doing it wrong anyway. The purpose of my site is not to help you out in a jam when you’re too far from a computer. It’s to entertain you. Nobody is using mobile for that.
And, if I EVER change it, I will completely IGNORE Google’s advice. Google has never made a good website. Ever. Period. They’ve only ruined good sites others have. I defy you to name an example that is an exception.
The Ceej says
So, I’m not allowed to reply to you? That makes you credible.
Mat Bennett says
No, that is just how Disqus works. It’s a commenting system, not a discussion board.
Ahtisham says
If this message appear does that mean this is a good sign ?
Mat Bennett says
It is neither a good sign nor a bad one. The message had no baring on the site, it is just a general announcement.
Derek Booth says
I also noticed this and on account I am setting up this morning it popped up on there too. Have to say though, I haven’t really noticed much difference if any. To play the customer role for a moment, when I check some key phrases we are interested in I find many sites on the first page that do not work on a mobile and of course they fail the mobile test.