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The state of mobile and SEO reminds me of two neighbors at war over neighboring properties in the online universe. The newer technology — mobile — recently moved into the area, and one would hope that the more established member of the neighborhood — SEO — would simply invite them into their enormous yard.

But for some reason they’re having trouble communicating effectively and are arguing over the fence line. The mobile newcomer is not really to blame, it’s the old man on the block, SEO, that’s avoiding access to the property.

If Mobile is So Important, Why Isn’t Google’s Webmaster Tool Mobile Friendly?

Google is certainly no fool when it comes to all things internet, or are they? To ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, they offer a test for compatibility on their developer site. But when you insert their own webmaster tool website into the analyzer, it comes back “not mobile-friendly.” Really? Yes, really, really as Shrek would say.

Check out the screenshot below (but just to be fair, Bing’s tool site failed the same test):

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Is Google Doing Everything it Can with Mobile SEO?

But is Google holding a grudge? It might appear that way to the outsider since they are already penalizing websites for low quality links, excessive downtime and a whole other list of no-no’s. Shouldn’t they be penalizing themselves for failing to adapt to the biggest technology to hit the market since the invention of the personal computer?

With the majority of people using mobile devices nowadays and marketers struggling to “get noticed” online, you would think that Google would be doing everything possible to enhance the SEO experience to reach all of those handheld devices.

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The Good News

If that’s the bad news, don’t worry there’s good news on the mobile horizon for SEO and mobile to finally shake hands, become better friends and truly embrace each other.

As far back as 2012, many users were starting to see small, square icons that appeared next to search results that were indicative of mobile-friendly content. It was very subtle, barely noticeable, but still people were noticing the change, albeit brief.

A Google rep confirmed that this was and experiment, by saying, “We’re experimenting with ways to optimize the mobile search experience, including helping users identify smartphone-optimized sites.” They declined to offer any more details, but that was almost three years ago, that’s like decades when it comes to today’s advancing technology.

The Importance of Optimization

It seems as though a mobile icon next to search results was simply an experiment for the mighty search giant, but it does underscore the importance of being completely, mobile-optimized today and especially the considering the tremendous growth that is expected for the mobile marketplace. If you look at almost every article being written about trends to embrace in 2015, the number one category is mobile, bar none.

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So it would appear, at the very least, that Google is listening, perhaps they will be releasing an algorithm specifically designed to address mobility issues, after all, it is on their official list of “the many different aspects of search.” For now we’ll have to be patient and hopefully we will be seeing better mobile access from the search giant in the near future.

About the Author: Nick Rojas is a business consultant and writer who lives in Los Angeles and Chicago. He has contributed articles to Visual.ly, Entrepreneur, and TechCrunch. You can follow him on Twitter @NickARojas, or you can reach him at NickAndrewRojas@gmail.com.