Is your site mobile-optimized? How Google’s Mobile-First Indexing Will Impact Your Search Visibility

As of June 2024, estimates suggest that over 60% of website traffic stems from mobile devices. With most users now accessing websites on their smartphones and tablets, it’s crucial to prepare for Google’s upcoming mobile-first indexing update. If you’re concerned about how this change will impact your search visibility, it’s time to act. Here are some key points to consider about the forthcoming update starting on July 5th.

What is Mobile-First Indexing?

Historically, Google crawled and indexed desktop and mobile versions of your website, using whichever version it deemed most relevant for search results. With Mobile-First Indexing, Google will now scan the mobile version of your website to rank within their search engine. This shift will present a unique opportunity for businesses to enhance their website’s visibility and user experience. The content, structure, and overall user experience (UX) of your mobile site will significantly impact how your website ranks in search results, regardless of the device type a user is using.

A significant shift for web developers, SEO specialists, and their relationship with the Google Search Engine

While most websites are either lightly tailored or have mobile versions of their site, this shift is a game-changer for SEO. If your website still needs to be UX optimized for mobile, there is a potential to see a significant or complete drop in search visibility after July 5th. This update will directly impact the work of web developers and SEO specialists, making it crucial to understand and adapt to these changes. 

• Mobile-friendliness is now King: Google will prioritize websites focusing on seamless and user-friendly experiences on mobile devices. Parameters for best practices will include fast loading speeds, straightforward navigation, and legible text.
• Searchable Content is Key:  Along with legible copy, ensuring your mobile content is high-quality, relevant to your target audience, and optimized for search terms will also give Google the thumbs up in indexing your site well into its search engine.

Important Things To Note

• Mobile-First Indexing Won’t Directly Affect Rankings: A mobile-friendly site won’t automatically guarantee higher rankings (although a well-implemented SEO plan and UX-focused site will). If your site is not mobile-friendly, you’re more likely to see a decline.
• Focus on Overall Website Optimization: Mobile-First Indexing is just one piece of the puzzle. Using Organic SEO techniques such as posting high-quality content, building backlinks, or using highly relevant keywords on your site will continue to be critical in ranking.

Steps You Can Take to Make Sure You Don’t Fall Out of Google Indexing

• Test Your Mobile Site: You can use Google’s mobile-friendly test tools, such as PageSpeed Insights, to gain insights into how well your site performs on mobile devices against Google’s standards.
• Prioritize Mobile Optimization: After you run a test on your mobile site, consider making the necessary changes to optimize it to be more user-friendly on smaller screens, or you could consider a mobile-only site.
• Ensure Content Parity: If your site uses two versions for desktop and mobile (while we don’t recommend it), make sure your content is consistent and offers the same value to users. 

The sheer number of people who use mobile devices to access the Internet shows the immense value of having a mobile-friendly site. By taking these steps and prioritizing mobile optimization, your website remains competitive in search results after Google’s mobile-first indexing update. 

Work through your mobile-friendly test reports with a pro!

While designing a mobile-friendly website will soon be a must in our mobile-first world, reading reports on your website’s performance can be tedious and highly technical. Our team at 3Block Digital is here to support you. We can help you plan and implement a mobile site strategy and structure to stay compliant with Google, ensuring a smooth transition.