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Google 'Mobilegeddon' Strikes Fear For Companies With No Mobile-Friendly Sites

| Apr 20, 2015 10:17 PM EDT

Mobilegeddon

Websites not ready for Google's so-called "Mobilegeddon" on Tuesday will suffer from lower page ranks as mobile-friendly sites will be given priority on search results.

Google initially announced the change in February, saying that websites that are not mobile-friendly will be placed lower on search results. The change in the search algorithm threatens several sites from the European Union, who is currently in a legal battle with the search engine giant.

Other websites such as Wikipedia and BBC failed the California-based company's Mobile-Friendly Test, which means that they might be buried lower on search results by Google, according to PC Mag.

There are also a number of famous brands still not ready for the Mobilegeddon such as the Microsoft Windows Phone site, Versace, Dyson and American Apparel. Other U.K.-based web services are also reported to be unprepared for Google's switch.

Google's new search algorithm is expected to hurt 44 percent of Fortune 500 companies as they have been found to have failed the mobile-friendly test.

Greg Sterling, an independent analyst, said that 40 percent of top-ranking websites in Google are not suited for mobile devices, and that there are a number of companies who ignore mobile users, according to USA Today.

Small businesses do not have to panic as most local businesses show up on Google's local search listings, giving them more exposure than bigger companies. Sterling said that they will still need to make a mobile site.

Google search results ranking are crucial to businesses that depend on traffic. For instance, Demand Media reported losing $6.4 million in 2012. The company blamed the financial loss to Google's Panda update, which eliminated the company from top spots.  

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