A mobile responsive site needs to be a top priority before April 21, 2015
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April 14, 2015
Apr 14, 2015 byJust because a website can be viewed on a mobile device (such as a smartphone) does not mean it's truly mobile responsive. And soon, the only opinion that matters (as far as your website's mobile responsiveness is concerned) is Google's. A mobile responsive website should be your top priority.
Beginning April 21, 2015, whenever you do a Google search, the results you receive will heavily favor websites that are mobile responsive. Non-mobile sites will be left in the dust...aka, the 7th page of Google's search results.
Here's the announcement from Google:
"Starting April 21, we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results."
Making it mobile
The next time someone is googling Mass times in your area or looking for a home/place to belong, make sure your parish website is first on the list. To put it another way: you need to make having a mobile responsive website a priority today.
Why the urgency? Once April 21 hits, not having a mobile website will be an SEO (search engine optimization) nightmare. If last year's news that a majority of Americans now access the internet on mobile devices wasn't enough, let Google's announcement be the final nudge.
If Pope Francis' call for the Church to get into the streets to evangelize didn't move you, let Google give you a shove. No, your parish website isn't the be-all and end-all of evangelization. However, in the year 2015, it's an essential place to start. And if it's not mobile, you're stunting your effectiveness.
Making it mobile isn't actually as hard as you'd imagine, and if you're looking for a solution, eCatholic (or Sheenomo, our brand for businesses) would be honored to help. All our websites are automatically mobile responsive without you having to do any extra work or pay any additional fees.
Once you make a mobile responsive website a priority, count yourself among those who are maximizing their online reach...and their evangelizing potential. More than half of America will thank you. Google will reward you. And Jesus will bless your efforts.
