Implementing responsive design is one way to make sure your website is functional and viewable on all devices, but will doing this affect your SEO negatively? Matt Cutts provided the answer in the latest Google Webmaster Help video.
Responsive Design versus Mobile Websites
Business owners and professionals need to make their websites accessible and functional across all desktop and mobile devices to avoid missing out on opportunities to connect with their audience. There are three popular ways to make a website accessible to mobile users:
- Responsive Design – responsive websites automatically adjust to fit the device visitors are using
- Mobile Websites – separate websites created specifically for mobile users, usually hosted on subdomains like m.domain.com
Many website owners have questioned how implementing a responsive design or building a separate mobile site might affect their search engine optimization efforts. Some believe that responsive websites are more difficult to optimize for search, and that implementing a responsive design might have a negative impact on their SEO.
Matt Cutts says there’s no need to worry about responsive web design having a downside in terms of SEO. He says that having a responsive website means everything is “handled from one URL”. This can reduces the risk of dividing PageRank between a website’s desktop and mobile versions.
It’s All a Matter of Execution and User Experience
Whether having a mobile website or implementing responsive design will work for a business’ website depends on how well the solution is executed. Cutts reminds viewers that Google has guidelines and best practices to help them handle their mobile website well.
What Cutts emphasizes toward the end of the video is that there’s no need to worry about the SEO drawbacks of responsive design, saying that webmasters should focus on providing a good user experience across all devices and platforms instead.
Learn more about responsive design and mobile optimization by reading the blog posts below:
- Google Says Mobile Websites Should Load Above-the-Fold Content in One Second
- The Three Important Elements of a Responsive eCommerce Website
- Five Ways to Improve Website Navigation for Touch Devices
- How to Position your Website Strategically for Mobile Users
Contact Creativo Media to start getting your website optimized for mobile today.