Although job board sites have been around for over a decade now, too few of them are taking advantage of the mobile revolution. This is to say that many job board sites look great and function perfectly on desktop and laptop computers, but they don’t fare as well when it comes to smartphones and tablets. As a result, many users of mobile devices simply avoid such sites altogether, but there may be an even bigger danger in not having a responsive job board site: Google:

SEE ALSO: Mobile Job Boards: Are They Really Something New, or Just Better Service?

Google is Now Planning to Factor Usability in Mobile-Site Ranking

In early March 2015, Google announced that it will begin adding mobile-usability factors to its ranking algorithm, meaning sites that aren’t mobile-friendly may be ranked lower than those that are. This can mean a major hit in traffic for your job board site as more and more web users are turning to mobile devices in order to look for employment. In fact, as mobile continues on its current trajectory of upward movement and usage, job board sites that refuse to adapt to mobile standards could find themselves essentially phased out of Google’s listing altogether in the sense that they will be ranked so far down the list it will be as if they don’t exist at all.

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As a result of Google’s recent announcement, it’s likely that other top search engines, including Yahoo! and Bing, will be following suit, so now is the time to take action. If your current job board site isn’t optimized for mobile, either get it responsive on your own or hire a developer to make it responsive. In addition, you’ll need to keep up with the ever-changing standards in mobile optimization to ensure that your site remains responsive.

Remember, it was only a handful of years ago that Flash was not an expected or supported feature on mobile devices, but today, it is imperative for many applications and sites to work. As such, you never know what the latest innovation will be, so you’ll need to be vigilant in your job board site’s mobile design.

Remember Your App

Speaking of changes and innovations, it’s likely that somewhere down the line, mobile apps will also need to be optimized for search engines. Currently, Android and Apple operating systems offer stores that provide apps to mobile users, but it may not be too far into the future that apps become free-range, and you can bet that Google and other search engines will begin ranking optimized apps as well. In fact, some developers currently provide some users with the ability to download, install, and use third-party apps that aren’t found in either store.

For now, this isn’t necessarily a concern, but you will need to ensure that the description information included with any apps your job board site creates are optimized in order to be found above your competition. You should also monitor feedback and comments on any apps you’ve created in order to see how people are finding them and what concerns they have about your job board’s app or apps.