Algorithm changes are rolled out to Google’s data centres to let mobile-friendly web pages get higher ranking on Google Search. Some sensationalist news outlets call this “mobilegeddon“. I think it is much ado about very little.

Google provides a mobile-friendly test and at first odoepner.github.io did not pass.

So I learned about the viewport meta tag and after adding the following to the head section of my html pages they now pass the test:

<meta name="viewport" 
      content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes"/>

About the viewport meta tag

The “viewport” meta tag is not part of the official HTML standard, but the validator at the W3C will still accept your pages as valid.

The tag was initially introduced by Apple Safari, but is now widely supported by most mobile web browser. As of spring 2015 Microsoft IE for Windows Mobile is the main exception: It requires some vendor-specific CSS.

Non-mobile web browsers typically just ignore the tag, which is fine because the whole “viewport” concept only makes sense for the relatively small screens of mobile devices.

Lacking a standard definition, for now the best specs are the respective web developer pages at Apple, Mozilla and Google.

Responsive accessible web design

Please note: Passing the Google test is nice for your page ratings, but truly “responsive” web design that works well on all browsing devices requires more effort, as this article on html5rocks.com explains quite well.

And of course, all supporters of an open, inclusive web should always ensure the accessibility of their site, for everyone regardless of disability.