Google initiates mobilegeddon by changing the order of its … – Le Figaro

Storm on the web. On Tuesday, the search engine changes the criteria governing the order of its search results. It promotes particularly suitable sites to smartphones.

If Google changes, it’s the Internet that wobbles. The American search engine will change Tuesday algorithm that governs its smartphone search results. This is the program that determines the display order of the sites according to their relevance. Its new version, valid in all languages, benefit the sites with a version suited to mobile. Those who will not match the new standards of Google will be shown later in its search results. These criteria include the use of a font too small to be read on a mobile or adapted plug-ins.

This decision is part of a mobile strategy initiated by Google in recent years. The mobile accounts for over 60% of traffic today on the Web, according to comScore Institute. Nevertheless, advertising on smartphones and tablets relate less to Google than those published on computer screens. Improving the quality of links in its search results, the group seeks to create a space where people click more, and therefore more profitable for advertisers.

These amendments, which had already been announced late February by the search engine, worried some Web companies. The operation was even nicknamed “mobilegeddon” (mobile contraction and Armageddon) by the American press. Indeed, it could drastically change the display order of search results on some keywords. However, this positioning is crucial: the first result on average gets more than a third of the visitors, according to a study of the site Optify. Beyond the first page, the rate falls below 3%.

Google regularly changes its search algorithm in order to provide results that are most relevant esteem. The two most recent versions, dubbed “Panda” and “Penguin”, aimed to play down the importance of the considered lower quality sites, with such a lot of spelling mistakes or content copied from other websites . Other recognized platforms had nevertheless saw their traffic decline as a result of these changes, such as eBay or Ask.com. According to the specialized website SearchEngineLand, these new changes will change the order of results further at the time of the launch of “Panda” and “Penguin”. They nevertheless should not affect the up sites enjoying a good SEO or belonging to a recognized brand, even if they are not suitable for small screens.

This time, Google has two months left to go to websites to mobile. However, for some, it is less a matter of time that knowledge or money. Not everyone has the means to pay for the services of a web designer. Only 20% of American SMEs had a website tailored to mobile in 2013, according to a study by the organization National Small Business Association and cited by the Washington Post . In France, 64% of sites are not suitable for mobile, according to a study by the site Yooda.