Google to Punish Non-Mobile Sites

Sites whose mobile versions are not up to par will tumble in Google rankings, the search engine giant announced, as it activates an overhaul to its ranking algorithm that takes into account mobile adaptabilities. Sites will also be punished for hard-to-read links and annoying horizontal scrolling. Yet despite these changes, a Google spokeswoman reassured the New York Times that format would not take precedence over substance. "The intent of the search query is still a very strong signal — so if a page with high-quality content is not mobile-friendly, it could still rank high if it has great content for the query," she said. "The ranking update will not make it rank below lower-quality pages that are mobile-friendly."