Mobile-First Indexing: How to Optimise for the Mobile-Only Future
How we access information has changed. Mobile devices are becoming the preferred method for accessing the internet, reading the news and shopping. Search engines have adapted to the shift with a new update, Mobile-First Indexing. This is a revision on how websites are crawled, indexed, and ranked.
While you may see mobile-first indexing as another algorithm update, it is actually a reflection of the changing user behaviours and Googles focus on providing user friendly and relevant content. The majority of internet traffic today comes from mobile devices, showing that mobile experiences should be prioritised.
Mobile-first indexing is an update introduced by Google, prioritising the mobile version of a website content for crawling and indexing. Until recently, Google would crawl and index the desktop site, but with the influx of mobile traffic, Google now gives your mobile version priority.
This means we have to change how our websites are developed, designed, and optimised, ensuring you provide mobile users with the best user experience.
In today's digital world, it's imperative that you ensure your website is ready for mobile-first indexing, boosting your visibility online. Key steps include:
Responsive website designs are essential to mobile optimisation. Responsive designs automatically adjust to any screen size, operating system, or angle. This means your website is functional across all desktops, smart phones, and tablets.
Mobile users tend to lack patients and a website that is slow in loading will experience a high bounce rate, which can negatively impact your ranking in search engine results pages.
To improve mobile speed, you should:
While Google may prioritise your mobile version of content for indexing, you need to ensure that the content is also available on your desktop site. This includes all text, images, and videos. Search engines are confused with inconsistencies, which can result in a lower ranking.
It's essential you ensure your mobile version is easy for Google search engine crawlers to access your content and understand it. Double check that your robots.txt file isn't blocking users from accessing your mobile content. Use schema markup to give clear information to search engines regarding your content.
Media, such as videos and images, are engaging and can keep visitors on your website for longer, reducing your bounce rate. At the same time, these media elements can slow down your site on mobile devices, therefore they need to be optimised for success.
Mobile users navigate differently to desktop users. You need to bear the following in mind when optimising for mobile, ensuring your site is easy to navigate, offering a great user experience:
Mobile-first indexing was rolled out in October 2023, however Google's algorithms responsible for indexing and ranking mobile continue will continue to evolve in the coming years. Areas that may experience growth include user experience, voice search optimisation, and emerging technologies. As mobile device capabilities improve and become more sophisticated, you can expect changes to mobile-first indexing.
Mobile-first indexing is a major change in today's digital landscape, highlighting the increase in mobile use. If you need help creating a mobile-friendly website or creating a customised strategy for success, get in touch with the Genie Crawl team today.
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