Microsoft isn’t a company that is used to being outdone by anyone at anything. That’s why when Google, the company with the lion’s share of the search market, rolled out their “mobilegeddon” algorithm changes, we were well aware that Bing’s was going to be right behind it.
Both companies seem to be acknowledging the shift toward the dominance of the mobile advertising market – one that is expected to break the $100 billion in spending mark this year. Unlike their competitor though, Bing says that this update isn’t quite like Google’s and nobody is foretelling the same tales of doom. We should expect a slightly different and tamer version of the mobile-friendly update from Bing.
The key factors
Like most in the biz already know, some of the key factors that Bing is going to focus on in its update are:
· Spacing- Buttons and all other navigational aids like links should be far enough apart as to create a mobile-friendly experience.
· Text size – Be sure to make the text a readable size so that users don’t have to zoom in.
· “Fit”- The content should fit the device so that users do not have to scroll from side to side.
Other than that, the folks at Bing added that the content should be compatible with a mobile device.
How is it different than Google’s?
Well, we don’t have all of the details yet, but we do know that one big difference is that Bing is trying to take the middle ground. Google went all out, in a “you’re either with us or against us” move. You were either mobile-friendly or you weren’t, and if you were not then your website was penalized and forced to walk the plank off the new, mobile-friendly SERPs.
Bing has realized that there is still plenty of content that doesn’t fit this mold yet, but is still highly relevant to what the searcher is on the lookout for. So they have made us aware that the most relevant results will still be ranked higher even if they are not mobile-friendly, even though being so will be a big boost to your SEO.
When should we be expecting it?
Microsoft has not announced a specific day, but has said that they will begin rolling out the changes in the coming months. So we shouldn’t expect a particular day to be the “doomsday” in this case.
Google may have the bulk of the search market, but that doesn’t mean that you should ignore some of the other search engines like Bing, because they do get quite a bit of traffic. Being mobile-friendly is a game changer across the board, so be prepared to see some changes coming on the Bing SERPs.
But don’t worry – we can expect this update to be a little gentler on those who haven’t quite hit the mobile-friendly bandwagon yet.
For help on ensuring your website is mobile friendly, contact the expert team at BlueHat Marketing today.
