Here Are the Agency Websites Google Doesn’t Think are Mobile Friendly

Google’s newly implemented policy to adjust mobile search rankings based on a website’s mobile friendliness could leave some federal websites on a Google search engine’s dreaded second page -- at least when users search from a smartphone. The new policy went into effect April 22. Google has provided Mobile-Friendly Test to help webmasters determine if their sites will suffer in the new rankings. Of the 28 agency websites Nextgov tested, more than half were deemed mobile friendly. While the new policy will not affect a website’s ranking on a computer or tablet, it will influence searches on mobile devices. Almost 25 percent of federal website traffic comes from mobile devices, according to the federal government's analytics site. GSA declined to comment on Google’s new policy and how it could affect federal websites. Using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, 11 of those sites were deemed “not mobile friendly” by Google for various reasons, including: too-small text; links that were too close together; content that extended beyond the width of a mobile screen; and not having a mobile viewport set, which makes sure site content renders nicely on a mobile screen. These sites included:

• Defense.gov
• GSA.gov
• VA.gov
• DHS.gov
• Treasury.gov
• EPA.gov
• HUD.gov
• OPM.gov
• Archives.gov
• IRS.gov
• Weather.gov