So far Google has recorded a small increase of 4.7% in mobile friendly websites, likely caused by the fear of Mobilegeddon

On Google’s blog , Cody Kwok revealed that part of the rationale behind their recently Mobile Friendly update is that research shows that 74% of internet users feel that they are more likely to revisit a site that is mobile friendly.

Cody however also points that the mobile friendliness algorithmic update is only part of one of many ranking factors used when determining a site’s position in the SERPs. Thus even if your website is not mobile friendly, you may not see a big change in your rankings, especially if your content is highly sought after.

Nevertheless, some webmasters have been successfully encouraged to make the transition over to a fully mobile responsive website, as Google reports:” we’ve seen a 4.7 percentage point uptick in the proportion of sites that are mobile friendly, and we hope to see even more in the coming months.”

Outside of the benefits to a website’s ranking, there are many other benefits to making your website more user friendly for mobile device users. Search Engine Watch’s study has shown that:

• Consumers are 67% more likely to buy from a mobile friendly website
• Visitors are 61% more likely to leave your site if your site is mobile unfriendly
• 55% of visitors feel that if a site is mobile unfriendly, it can cause them to be disappointed in the brand itself

What are the top 10 features that mobile device users look for in a website?

1. A site that loads within 5 seconds
2. Little requirement for screen scrolling and pinching
3. Large buttons that are easy to click
4. An easy to find click-to-call button
5. One directional scrolling – either horizontal or vertical
6. Fast and easy access to the company’s business information
7. Easy to find links to the company’s social media buttons
8. An option to visit the non-mobile version of the site
9. Non-scrolling contact forms that have few fields
10. An easily accessible search bar

Although there appears to be a great incentive for web masters to mobile optimise their websites, both in terms of SEO and user experience, many have not yet jumped onto the band wagon. However change can often take time – during which those website owners who have embraced the change will be able to capitalise!