Month: April 2015

Google introduced an algorithm change that went into affect on April 21st.

This change affects users searching from smartphones and tablets, resulting in mobile-friendly sites displaying at the top of search results, while sites that aren’t mobile friendly will get demoted. This update doesn’t affect desktop searches.

Is this Mobilegeddon?

Hardly. Google’s algorithm changes seem pretty intuitive to me. Naturally if you’re accessing a site via your phone, you don’t want a clunky site that is impossible to navigate and takes forever to load. Most websites that were built in the past year or two are created with responsive design- meaning that they adjust to be viewed on desktops, phones, and tablets.

As Robert Hof at Forbes points out, “better mobile websites are likely to lead to more “conversions,” whether that’s purchases or visits to a physical store. That’s why Google ad folks must be overjoyed at all the attention on the algorithm change, even if the nickname doesn’t thrill them.”

The change could be bad news for sites that aren’t mobile friendly. TechCrunch reports that 44% of Fortune 500 web sites failed the mobile-friendly test. You can test your website here.

If this change is affecting your business, give us a call!

KNOWN

We’re currently in the all important phase of renaming our business. We’re not quite ready for the big reveal, but we’d like to share some tips that can help you while choosing a domain name for your website.

Lots of our clients already have established businesses and come to us with a domain name already picked out. If you’re just getting started, here are a few things to consider:

• Keep it simple. A domain name that is obvious and says what the site is about will help increase traffic to your site.
• Have you found the perfect business name but the domain name is already taken? Don’t let domain name availability force you to decide against the best name.  Modifiers like these can help you work around domain name squatters, and they help communicate what your business does:

Get_____.com

Shop_____.com

ILove____.com

LetsGo_____.com

Enjoy_____.com

The same principles can be applied when choosing social media handles.

• Pay attention to how the name reads without capitalization to avoid mistakes like:

speedofart.com | Speed of Art

therapistfinder.com | Therapist Finder

Check out this listicle if you’re looking for a laugh.

Have a funny naming story? Let us know in the comments!

KNOWN