The new Google layout, and how it affects your search engine rankings

Google has announced that their search results will incorporate a new layout, one which will match the mobile experience to the desktop view. In the new layout, paid ads will only display in the center section – not along the side column – since mobile users were not seeing the side column, and the number of paid ads will be reduced from 4 to 3.

This change will have major ramifications to those who currently advertise with Google AdWords, pushing the pricing for premium ad space even higher, as the number of ads on the first page is drastically reduced. It will also make your location in organic search much more critical than before, so you will certainly want to focus upon your website, backlinks, quality content and social media shares in order to bring your organic search rankings higher.

Google has also announced that websites which are not mobile responsive will be penalized in the search engine rankings after April 20. If your website hasn’t been upgraded or redeveloped in years, now would be a good time to make that a priority, and be sure that your new website is developed to be mobile responsive.