Everything You’d Want to Know About Google’s Mobile-First Indexing

A decade ago, website owners mostly concerned themselves with how their domains displayed on desktop PCs. Much has changed since then and this conventional approach no longer applies in this day and age. As a matter of fact, the script has been completely turned as webmasters find themselves scrambling to cater to an entirely new demographic: mobile users.

With smartphones, tablets, and laptops accounting for nearly half of the Web’s traffic these days, we can’t emphasise enough the fact that site owners have to optimise their portals with the goal of making them mobile-friendly. Not only will this get you a leg up on the competition, but it’ll also make sure your site won’t be left behind as Google shifts to mobile-first indexing.

• Google prioritizes mobile versions of websites for indexing and ranking since most users search via mobile devices.
• Mobile-first indexing is mandatory and gradually rolled out; you cannot opt out.
• There is no separate mobile index; Google indexes the mobile site version even if desktop URLs display to desktop users.
• Your mobile and desktop sites should have similar content, metadata, and structured data to avoid ranking drops.
• New websites launched after July 1, 2019, are automatically subject to mobile-first indexing.
• Follow Google’s best practices for mobile SEO, including crawlability, media formats, and metadata consistency.
• Responsive design is not required but highly recommended for better user experience and SEO performance.
• Preparing for mobile-first indexing helps future-proof your site and maintain competitive search rankings.

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What Is Google’s Mobile-First Indexing?
   • Entry Is Gradual and Mandatory
   • Mobile-First Indexing Is Not a Separate Index
   • Ensuring Similar Experience on Mobile and Desktop
   • Automatic Mobile-First Indexing for New Sites
   • Google’s Best Practices for Mobile-First Indexing
   • Responsive Design: Required or Not?
3. Future-Proofing Your Website for Mobile Search
4. FAQ

Ever since Google first announced its experiment with mobile-first indexing back in 2016, it has been looking at mobile websites first when indexing and ranking content on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). The development has been fast-tracked by the fact that most people using the search engine these days do so on their handheld devices.

With this seismic shift in the Internet search trend, the search giant has tirelessly encouraged website owners to put more resources into making their virtual platforms more mobile-friendly. This call is in line with the fact that Google has also ramped up its efforts to offer users a seamless Web browsing experience. Heed the call and you can be sure that your site can rank better than the competition in search results.

Google announced mobile-first indexing years ago, but not all websites have been moved over yet. According to John Mueller, Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, the process takes time, so site owners need to be patient.

Martin Splitt, a search developer advocate at Google, also confirmed that there’s no way to predict when your domain will switch to mobile-first indexing. He added that there’s nothing you can do to speed up the migration either.

If you’re frustrated by the wait, know this: you can’t opt out. Google has made it clear that mobile-first indexing is mandatory. That means it’s your job to keep improving your site’s mobile experience.

Googlebot will continue checking if your website is ready. It looks at your content — like videos, links, images, and text — along with your structured data and metadata.

This one may be widely known in the search community at this point, but outsiders will likely find it relatively confusing as a concept. To clarify, Google has stated that there isn’t a separate mobile-first index. Instead, the search engine giant primarily uses the mobile version of a website for purposes of ranking and indexing.

Say your website has separate URLs for its mobile and desktop sites, by default Google will show the desktop URL to desktop users and mobile URL to mobile users. However, the one that will be indexed is the mobile version.

Early this year, Google shared the best practices for mobile indexing and there has been a big emphasis on providing an identical experience for both desktop and mobile users. If you’re not too sure how that’s done, here’s a quick list you can refer to: 

• Ensure the mobile website contains the same content as its desktop counterpart.
• Make sure Googlebot can access and render both mobile and desktop page content and resources.
• Use the same headings on the desktop and mobile site.
• Use the same meta robots tags on the desktop and mobile site.
• Ensure the same structured data for both the desktop and mobile sites.

If webmasters serve less content on their mobile site (in comparison to their desktop counterpart), their website will likely suffer a major drop in traffic. This can especially hurt your online platform, especially when your desktop site has been ranking well. The best way forward, according to the search giant, is to offer similar content on both versions of the domain.

Has your website been launched after July 1, 2019? In that case, mobile-first indexing is enabled for it by default. In an announcement, Google explains that this protocol applies to any websites previously unknown to Google Search on the said date.

Mobile-first indexing applies to new sites by default because most new sites are ready for this kind of indexing. This assessment comes from Google’s findings after years of experimenting on using a smartphone Googlebot to crawl the Web.

In the goal to ensure the best experience for mobile users, Google has been transparent on the best practices to successfully prepare for mobile-first indexing. But a closer look reveals that the guidelines are nothing new. In fact, they’re pieces of advice that Google has shared elsewhere through the years.

Here are a few recommendations on their list of best practices:

• Make sure Google can crawl your site’s resources.
• Make sure ads don’t disrupt the mobile user experience.
• See if Google can see lazy-loaded content.
• Use supported formats for videos and images.
• Use the same metadata on mobile and desktop websites.
• Supply high-quality images on your site.
• See if videos are easy to find and view on the mobile’s site.
• Use the same alt text on both the desktop and mobile website.
• Avoid using video and image URLs that change every time pages load on the mobile site.

If that’s a lot to take in, know that Google has a troubleshooting section on its best practices document. It details common errors that either leads to a drop in rankings or make your site be less ready for mobile-first indexing.

Your site doesn’t need a responsive design to be considered for mobile-first indexing. As long as Google can crawl your site and the content displays properly on mobile, you’re eligible.

John Mueller from Google has said that even if your site fails the mobile usability test, it can still qualify. That’s because mobile usability and mobile-first indexing are evaluated separately.

Still, don’t rely only on the mobile usability test or the Search Console report to judge your readiness. These tools help, but they don’t tell the full story.

Even though it’s not required, having a responsive website is strongly recommended. It helps improve user experience and can boost your search visibility. Google has confirmed time and again that responsive design is one of the most effective ways to improve your SEO.

The thought of gearing up for Google’s mobile-first indexing may be intimidating. However, once you understand the reason behind the shift and know what you can do to optimise your site for the mobile demographic, you’ll be off to a great start!

If you need a hand with optimising your website and ensuring it’s ready for mobile-first indexing ahead of your competitors, you’re in luck! TopRankings will discuss the right approach to embracing this search paradigm shift today!

What exactly is Google’s mobile-first indexing?

Mobile-first indexing means Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking in search results. This shift reflects the increasing number of users browsing on mobile devices.

Can I opt out of mobile-first indexing?

No, mobile-first indexing is mandatory for all websites. Google will gradually migrate all sites to this system, and there is no option to opt out.

Does Google create a separate index for mobile sites?

No, Google does not have a separate mobile index. It uses the mobile version of your site to determine rankings and indexing, even if desktop users see a desktop URL.

What if my mobile site has less content than my desktop site?

This can hurt your rankings. Google recommends having the same content, metadata, and structured data on both versions to avoid traffic loss.

Is a responsive website design required for mobile-first indexing?

Not strictly. Your site just needs to be crawlable and display properly on mobile devices. However, responsive design is highly recommended for better user experience and SEO.

Are new websites automatically included in mobile-first indexing?

Yes. Websites launched after July 1, 2019, are subject to mobile-first indexing by default.

What are some best practices to prepare for mobile-first indexing?

Ensure Google can crawl your site’s resources, avoid disruptive ads, use supported media formats, keep metadata consistent, and provide high-quality images and videos on mobile.

How do I check if my website is ready for mobile-first indexing?

Use Google Search Console reports and tools to check mobile usability and crawlability, but remember these aren’t the sole indicators. Focus on content parity and overall mobile performance.