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Alphabet ( GOOGL ) unit Google said Wednesday that it is launching an update to mobile search results to help users find more mobile-friendly Web pages. “Getting good, relevant answers when you search shouldn’t depend on what device you’re using. You should get the best answer possible, whether you’re on a phone, desktop or tablet,” the company said in a blog post . Last year, the company said it would use “mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal on mobile searches.” Beginning in May, Google said, “we’ll start rolling out an update to mobile search results that increases the effect of the ranking signal to help our users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly.” The company said the goal of the upgrade was to “help our users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly,” although Google didn’t specify how much of an impact it expects the change to have. Sites that area already deemed mobile-friendly will not be impacted by the update. In November 2014, Google started labeling sites as “mobile friendly” to indicate which pages were size optimized to be read on smaller screens. Then, in February 2015, Google announced plans to roll out mobile ranking changes on April 21. A Web page is eligible to wear the “mobile-friendly” label if it avoids software such as Flash that is not common on mobile devices and uses text that is readable without zooming. Mobile-friendly sites also place links far enough apart so a user’s finger can easily tap the correct one. Google started using the label as a ranking factor worldwide in April. Google’s Mobilegeddon — its rollout of major changes to its search algorithm last April 2015 giving priority to mobile-friendly websites that adjust the look of a Web page on smaller screens — likely had a modest impact on advertising, analysts said. Google offers a Webmaster Mobile Guide with more details for web developers. Look for Google’s mobile-friendly test tool here . The search leader faces tougher competition from U.S.-based rivals led by Facebook ( FB ) and foreign stalwarts such as China search leader Baidu ( BIDU ) . Scalper1 News
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