Ensuring Your Site is Mobile-Friendly
Here’s how to make sure your site is ready for Google’s algorithm changes.
Today, Google released a change to its algorithm that gives higher search scores to sites it deems “mobile-friendly.” Curious WordPressers might be asking:
- How can I be sure my site is mobile-friendly?
- What can I do if my site is not mobile-friendly?
1. See if your site is mobile-friendly
Visit Google’s mobile-friendly test link and enter your site’s address (e.g., https://wordpress.com/dailypost or https://automattic.com). Google will then analyze your site and declare it mobile-friendly or not.
Did your site pass? YAY! Pass GO and collect $200 from the Community Chest.
2. What can I do if my site is not mobile-friendly?
If your site failed Google’s test, you might be using an older theme that’s not responsive. Responsive themes change their layout slightly when someone visits via tablet or mobile phone to ensure that important content like the site title, post titles, and post content can be read on smaller screens.
Goran is one example of a responsive theme. Here’s a sample of what it looks like on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones:
![Goran's layout changes slightly to make sure important content comes first, regardless of the type of device you use to view the site.](https://en-blog.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/goran-theme-responsive.jpg?w=635)
Goran’s layout changes slightly to make sure important content comes first, regardless of the type of device you use to view the site.
There are two things you can do to make your site mobile-friendly:
- Switch your theme to a responsive theme. Here’s a search on the Theme Showcase returning all our responsive themes to help you choose.
- If you’d prefer not to switch to a responsive theme, you can enable an option that will show a mobile-friendly, responsive theme to your mobile visitors only. Go to My Site(s) → WP Admin → Appearance → Mobile in your dashboard. Click on the Yes radio button to enable a mobile-friendly theme, and click on the Update button. You’re set.
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- April 22, 2015
- Mobile
Yeah, my page is mobile friendly !!! 😀
LikeLiked by 4 people
This is something I will need to check out!! Thank you so much for sharing. Wonderful tips. Hope you have a fantastic day!
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank you so much for such a useful article. Definitely something I’m going to have to look into for my web presence!
LikeLiked by 7 people
This was really useful, thanks! I’m mobile-friendly. Also pet-friendly, kid-friendly and friend-friendly.
LikeLiked by 11 people
Didn’t know this, thanks, will have to check this out.
LikeLiked by 6 people
Thanks for letting us know.
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I passed the test, yay! Not much else worked that well today.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Yay, Wu Wei, Pachyderm and Penscratch all pass. Thanks, WordPress.
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Many thanks for this. I’m Google awesome, which is reassuring. Glad I did not have to change my theme. Love you WordPress!
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Storyteller (www.laskowitzpictures.org) is not mobile friendly according to Google. They want me to change my text size, the space between my links, open mobile view port (whatever that is) and my content is too wide for the page.
Wow. I use a WordPress template, The text is how WordPress created it. The links are how WordPress set them, I have no idea what a mobile view port is and again, my content width is whatever WordPress said it should be.
I’m a photographer, not a coder. I trusted that WordPress would provide the proper templates and coding. Apparently not.
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Your site, http://www.laskowitzpictures.org is declared mobile-friendly by Google.
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My theme (that I want to keep) is not responsive and I don’t have a Mobile option under appearance. Please advise.
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When I test your sites, both http://madisoncellars.wordpress.com and carsonlawgroup.com are declared mobile-friendly by Google.
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Awe…thank you for this! Never even dawned on me. I’m so glad I’m with WordPress! You guys rock!
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Mine passed the test too and thank you so much for this! You are so greatly appreciated and I am very grateful for you WordPress.com. 😉
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I am using a responsive theme (Sela) and I’m still failing the google test. My x’s are:
Text too small to read
Links too close together
Mobile viewport not set
How do I fix it?
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I see that your site, http://littlebeanfarms.wordpress.com has been declared mobile-friendly by Google.
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it’s interesting that there is no obvious definition of what constitutes ‘mobile-friendly’. it’s hinted that it involves — but is not limited to — things like the necessity to zoom or scroll. i think far more important is “is the content and functionality of the mobile site EXACTLY THE SAME as the ‘real’ site? this criterion is never mentioned (or if it is, it’s not obvious).
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Google shares a bit more information on the criteria they use to deem a site mobile-friendly in this blog post.
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For once I’m compatible with something technical, yayyyy. Thanks.
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Ya.
I have created two sites and both passed the test and are mobile friendly. The screen shot is exactly correct.
But I didn’t understand Pass GO and collect $200 from community chest. I didn’t see any GO link or button anywhere.
So please explain to me how I can collect my 400$.
LikeLiked by 3 people
The reference to “Pass GO and collect $200 from the Community Chest” refers to a popular board game called Monopoly. It’s a light-hearted attempt at a joke.
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Hi. I have responsive theme, even seen the site on all the different devices! Says my site is not responsive! sigh.
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Your WordPress.com URL (http://fisherynation.wordpress.com) resolves to a self-hosted installation of WordPress.org software at fisherynation.com. We’re not able to provide support for the self-hosted version of WordPress — I suggest checking out Google’s guide for owners of self-hosted WordPress sites.
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Thanks. I read articles yesterday about this but your post was the only one that gave me the link to check my sites.
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The mobile-friendly theme works for old themes like what I’m using (Redoable Lite) but there’s no customization so hopefully they get some attention as well 🙂
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It did not happen. I entered my wordpress blog URL but no analysis happened.
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It seems the blog url you have associated with your profile, (http://abrangpara.wordpress.com) doesn’t exist. You do have a blog with a slightly different title, (http://anandrangpara.wordpress.com) which does pass the mobile-friendly test.
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Thank you for that confirmation. But I added my valid URL only. not the first one that you mentioned. Thanks anyways.
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My theme, Blogum, is not responsive, but I clicked it over to Mobile (as on your point 2) and now I’m ‘Google awesome’!! But pages are not still not showing up in searches as mobile friendly, so I’m not sure what to do now 😦
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Note that it might take some time for Google’s crawlers to re-index your pages after you’ve made the change.
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Yay! Where’s my 200 bucks? 😀 Thanks for this very helpful article.
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Thanks. But I inherited a site bfineartjewelry.com in which lies the problem. Minimatica is not responsive and I can’t find a Mobile radio button.
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The site, bfineartjewelry.com uses self-hosted installation of WordPress.org software. We’re not able to provide support for the self-hosted version of WordPress — I suggest checking out Google’s guide for owners of self-hosted WordPress sites.
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Thx for such a useful article. It never even dawned on me to check my site on my mobile. Glad I passed the test!
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Thanks a million. (Now I never had and will most likely would never have million dollars)
My site was not mobile friendly, by adopting ur advice got it changed. I am still looking for right theme though.
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So I am ready to face Google Mobile friendly algorithm with help from WordPress.
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YAY! My website passed this test..Happy to see “Awesome! This page is mobile-friendly.” THANKS for posting this article.
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Thanks for the link!!!
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