Mobilegeddon is here! When Google announced they were making a large change to their algorithms that would make mobile-friendly websites perform better on search results, for some, it seemed as if the world had ended.

But Jacob Werre (fellow TRG colleague and e-media specialist) and I are both finding the hype may have been a bit overblown. Maybe it takes a few weeks for such a large change to have an effect. Or, maybe the mobile-friendly algorithm “bump” may not be as big as first believed.

Either way, doom and gloom are not yet upon us all. At this stage, our recommendation is still the same: you should always design (or redesign) your site to be mobile-friendly.

However, not being mobile-friendly is also not the end of the world – at least not yet. If you don’t know if your website is mobile friendly or not, you can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool. Have a look – it’s free!

For now, what is important is to at least have conversations about your site’s mobile-friendless and to ultimately make a plan to optimize your website accordingly. And, yes, it’s probably best to do so within the next 6-12 months.

Mobile web use isn’t going away. In fact, it’s only becoming more extensive. According to ad network InMobi, 60 percent of Internet access originates from mobile devices.

Simply take a stroll down any college campus, visit a mall or local coffee shop, get ready to board an airplane – everywhere you turn, people are texting, tweeting, shopping, or just plain killing time by surfing the web with their mobile devices.

So, while Mobilegeddon may not mark an immediate catastrophe for you, it should at least be viewed as a catalyst. If you haven’t already, now is the time to think strategically about how your website interacts with people on the small screen.

“”XX-34 BADGER” atmospheric nuclear test – April 1953″ flickr photo by The Official CTBTO Photostream https://flickr.com/photos/ctbto/4926598654 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license