Why is mobile-first indexing critical for SEO?
The mobile-first indexing initiative by Google was originally launched in 2016, reaching a new milestone on 5 July 2024. This is a method used by Google, the search engine giant, when it crawls web pages with mobile versions. The mobile version now acts as a starting point for Google's crawlers to crawl and index web pages, determining the pages ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
The term “mobile-first” does not necessarily mean Google is only looking at the mobile version of your website, if you don't have a mobile version, the search engine will look at your desktop site. This does influence your ranking, as algorithms are now working in favour of lighter, mobile friendly options.
Mobile-first indexing is more than Google's algorithm, it's important for your online success. It improves user experience, making it easier for users rely on mobile devices to search for the products and services you provide. Originally, Google would crawl the desktop version of a website first, and based on the information it gathered, it would rank both your desktop and mobile site.
These days, its the opposite. Google crawls mobile versions of the site first to determining ranking. Google does change over to your desktop site, only if you do not have a mobile friendly website. Once it moves to your desktop site, you may find your ranking drops as it is not mobile optimised.
In 2016, Google claimed that more people were browsing the internet on mobile devices and they started experimenting with a new ranking system, mobile-first indexing. While this has been around for some time, it was when they announced their complete changeover to mobile-first indexing that influenced businesses throughout the world.
Google's goal is to have uniform results with the same content, no matter what device your visitors use.
The role of mobile-first indexing was to determine the value of the website, it's ranking, and attributes. Most users these days use mobile devices when searching on the internet. Google created an AI crawler that judges a site from a mobile perspective, determining your ranking in SERPs.
This means that your structured data should be the same on your mobile and desktop website, prioritising breadcrumbs. In order to ensure your website is properly indexed, the Google bot should be able to have full access to your mobile website. Meta tags should match on both versions of your website, including Noindex and Nofollow.
Google loves changing its rules, algorithms, and rules, which can cause a lot of stress for business owners. Updates usually come with guidelines and tools, helping you align with them. This makes it easier to determine if your website is mobile friendly or not.
In order to create a mobile friendly version of your website, we recommend you follow Google's guidelines for mobile-first optimisation. Common mistakes include:
Mobile-first indexing is how Google indexes and perceives your web pages. The solution is often a responsive web design, which is considerably easier at aligning with the guidelines. At Genie Crawl we can help you create an effective responsive web design that follows Google guidelines, helping you reach your mobile audience with confidence.
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