Starting tomorrow, sites that are not mobile-optimised will be penalised by a tweak to Google's algorithm that rates based on “mobile-friendliness”.
The change is fairly straightforward in that if a site is not mobile-optimised, it is unlikely to appear in the top search result listings on smart phones.
The key message to brands is that if sites are not already optimised for mobile, traffic is set to drop and access to eyeballs will decrease.
It's hard to put a figure on just how many websites are not yet mobile-ready, but if anything will force a business to finally get its mobile strategy in place – a push from Google should do it.
The changes, announced in February, come into force tomorrow (21 April) and will apply to all signed in users of Android.
A Google spokesperson said: "As people increasingly search on their mobile devices, we want to make sure they can find content that’s not only relevant and timely, but also easy to read and interact with on smaller mobile screens."
ZenithOptimedia's head of serarch geraldine McDonagh offers tips on how to survive the 'Google Mobilegeddon'.
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