When it comes to browsing the web, whether it be on mobile or desktop, speed is paramount. Nobody wants to wait for pages to load, especially those using mobile devices, which is why responsive and adaptive design for websites has become the standard.
The “need for speed” forced developers and designers to build sites that load quickly, employ a minimal amount of code, and ditch many of the bells and whistles that looked pretty on a site years ago, but are just useless add-ons today.
In July 2018, Google announced that they would be rolling out an update to their search algorithm which they dubbed the “Speed Update.” Prior to this update, one of the many ranking factors that Google used to determine which sites show up search results, was speed – but only for desktop searches. The Speed Update would now use speed as a ranking factor for mobile searches as well.
According to the Official Google Webmaster Blog, this update “affects pages that deliver the slowest experience to users.” So if you have a site that loads slowly on desktop and mobile, chances are the Speed Update will impact your organic rankings for both desktop and mobile searches.
Since the Speed Update rolled out, the team at Your Store Wizards has been working on a new feature for Yahoo! Store owners to help combat slow loading sites and provide store owners with a lightning-fast mobile solution regardless of site design.
We’ve taken the methods recommended by Google, as well as industry best practices, to build a solution that is designed to increase conversions, help with SEO rankings, and encourage higher customer engagement.
One of our goals for Q1/2019 was to have this new product graduate from our development lab… and with just a few days left in the quarter, we’re set to hit that goal!
I’ll be sharing more details about this exciting Yahoo! Store add-on very soon, so I’m holding back on some of the nitty-gritty intentionally. In the meantime, I’m looking for a few specific merchants willing to be “launch customers” for the product.
While the product is going to be available for every Yahoo! Store owner, for the launch I’m looking for store owners who:
- Do not have a responsive or adaptive website.
- Are using the free Yahoo! mobile templates.
- Are not using any 3rd party to serve up a mobile.yourstore.com, m.yourstore.com, etc version of the store.
- Are willing to provide a testimonial about the product after a few months of use.
- Are willing to share pre- and post-analytical data with us to determine a % change in conversions, load time, and time on site. (Data may be used anonymously in future marketing materials, but merchant information will not be disclosed and any data collected will be kept confidential.)
In return, we will provide you with a full year of the service at no charge as well as free installation and professional support. After the year, the published monthly service charge will apply.
If you would like to be considered for a spot as a launch customer, please fill out the form below, and if chosen, you’ll be contacted with more information about the product and next steps.
I’m proud of the effort our team has taken to develop this product and will be sharing more information about it in the coming days. To make sure you’re one of the first to learn about its launch, subscribe to our blog posts by entering your email in the box at the top right of this page and follow our Facebook page.
Stay tuned for more info coming soon!
Scott Sanfilippo
General Manager, YSW
Scott Sanfilippo began his eCommerce journey in 1994 by co-founding one of the Internet’s first online retailers, TheFerretStore.com, which was acquired by PetCo in 2006. In 2001, he co-founded the eCommerce design and marketing firm Solid Cactus, which was acquired by web.com in 2009. Today, Scott is the General Manager of Your Store Wizards and lives in Delray Beach, FL. Scott can be contacted at scott@yourstorewizards.com.