Businesses with non-responsive mobile websites could be missing out on as much as 68 percent of potential traffic. When Google and other search engines cannot recognize a mobile website as being related to a desktop counterpart, over one in four rank lower than they could in mobile search results.

How does website configuration impact mobile search rankings? It has to do with the type of device used to perform a search. The report, developed by BrightEdge, reveals that “62 percent of organic searches show different results depending on whether the search was performed on a desktop or smartphone.” If your mobile website is producing configuration errors during the page load process, that could spell trouble for how your website ranks on mobile devices.

Responsive Website Design Eliminates Configuration Errors

Responsive design websites in the study did not generate any configuration errors. However, mobile websites did.

Mobile websites use a desktop version and a mobile version. For example, these website URLs might look like this “http://m.site.com” or “http://mobile.site.com.”  These types of websites in the study had lower than average mobile search rankings versus responsive design websites. If configured improperly, mobile websites produce an average error rate of 72%.

In stark contrast, responsive design websites did not show any configuration errors due to the fact that they serve the same code on the same URL regardless of the device used to view the site. They can also display the website differently (i.e. respond) based on the screen size and form. It’s important to note that Google recommends responsive website design as a best practice.

Monitor your Organic Search Traffic by Device

In 2014, the number of individuals using mobile devices to access the Internet finally surpassed those who use desktops to get online. Because of this, your website’s mobile search presence is more important than ever before. It is recommended that you track, benchmark and monitor the amount of traffic and leads your website is receiving from all devices to ensure that you are not missing out on valuable traffic from a specific device or browser.