To that end, at least one IT expert has tagged April 21, as “Mobile-geddon.” That’s because that's the date Google changed its algorithms so websites that are not mobile-ready will sink in search rankings.

According to Chuck Price, Founder and CEO of Measurable SEO, this major algorithm update means Google is expanding its use of mobile-friendliness as a way of ranking websites. The change affects mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will significantly impact search results on Google.

Although Google warned web masters to prepare for this massive change to its algorithms for years, only now that the change is here have people begun to take notice, Price says. So, the question begs, should you make your law firm’s website mobile-friendly? There are pros and cons to everything.

Websites and Mobile-Friendliness

When websites were first created, it was contemplated they would be reached on people’s laptops or desktop computers. As such, the technology used to build them maximized the user’s experience for those devices.

Meanwhile, mobile devices were in their infancy, and they certainly were not high-tech as they are today. Therefore, websites were generally not constructed to be read on smaller mobile devices. Mobile-friendly websites, however, are designed to load quickly on mobile devices. Their content is also easily accessible by scrolling up and down.

If a website has been designed only for PC users, its graphics take longer to load on a mobile device and its columns of texts won’t fit properly on the small screen. One way to make a website mobile friendly is to create it using what’s called “responsive design.” A website built with responsive design adapts to whatever type of technology is being used to read it.

That means if a person visits a website on their mobile phone, the site’s responsive design reacts to make it adjust to that technology. For example, a website built with responsive design allows the visitor to click on the business’ phone number and the conversion is made.

A website not equipped with responsive design will not allow the visitor to click on the phone number to call the business. And that, says Randy Kauffman, founder and CEO of Columbus-based Super Cool Sites, means the loss of a potential client for your firm.

According to Price, a mobile-friendly website “automatically adjusts to the specific device used” to read it. A responsive site takes a standard website and instructs the mobile device on how to display it properly. Responsive websites can handle any resolution with changes in CSS files, which affect how the elements on webpages are presented.

Computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets will all display the website in the best way possible, he says.

The Pros of Mobile-Friendliness

Besides the fact that Google has altered its algorithms to favor mobile-friendly websites, there are other benefits of making your firm’s website fully responsive. “One advantage of having a mobile-friendly site is usually more conversions occur,” says Price, whose Albany, NY company specializes in Internet marketing and organic searches for its clients.

Conversions come in different colors. For example, if a visitor to your website requests additional information, a conversion has occurred. If a site guest calls your office after visiting your site, another conversion has been made. Of course the ultimate conversion is when a website visitor becomes an actual, paying client.

According to Price, benefits of maintaining a mobile-ready site include:

• Site customization for mobile users
• The ease of site design
•  Reduced costs associated with designing a mobile-ready site

Price says mobile-friendly sites are more conducive to sales than sites that are not mobile-ready. “Ninety-four percent of people who search on their mobile devices do so with local intent,” he says. That means when a person utilizes their mobile device to find a website, they are overwhelmingly doing so to find goods or services that are local in nature.

The Cons

There are negatives associated with having a mobile-ready website to consider. For example, there are additional costs involved with maintaining a mobile-friendly site. “If you are using a dedicated mobile design, more management is needed. However, if using a responsive design, you only need to manage one website,” Price says.

Other potential negatives of maintaining a mobile-friendly website include:

• Recurring maintenance
• Additional costs for updating the content of multiple websites
• The potential need for the site to be reworked to meet the technological demands of future browsers

Other Truisms

Google’s revamped formula will impact only web searches made on mobile devices, meaning the changes will not impact where websites rank when searched on desktop or laptop computers. However, since millions of new smartphones are activated every month, more searches are being conducted on them.

A website that is not mobile-friendly will be demoted in Google rankings with the changes the company recently implemented. As a way of easing the transition to mobile-friendly websites, Google released a step-by-step guide and a tool to test compliance with the new standards.

Maintaining a mobile-responsive website is so important that when Wendy Witt, a Pittsburgh lawyer and Advisors Forum director, developed best practices for WealthCounsel members’ websites, being mobile-friendly was listed. “We offer a web site product and being responsive is required---members don’t have the option to opt out. It’s that important,” she says. "Availability is part of relevancy. Many people aren't going to think something is relevant if they can't get it to appear on their iPhone," says Price. 

Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer.