Mobile devices have become increasingly popular in recent years and are already more popular than desktop search in many industries. As a result of this development, Google announced in 2016 that the mobile index would become the main index. The most important innovations around the mobile index are listed in this article.
What are the implications of the move to mobile-first?
In the past, the desktop version of the website was always considered first for indexing, but now, thanks to the mobile-first index, the mobile version is always considered first.
However, this change does not mean that only mobile sites will be checked by the index. If a website does not have a mobile version and is not responsive, the desktop version is used for indexing. A missing mobile version is therefore not fatal for a website, but it still receives a worse ranking because the experience is worse for the users. Thus, a bad mobile website can also worsen the ranking of the desktop version.
The website is evaluated based on its mobile appearance. There is no separate mobile and desktop index. For new companies, the change should not be a problem, as their websites are often designed according to the motto “mobile first” anyway. A bigger problem could be the switch for companies that have previously only used their mobile site as an appendage to their desktop version.
For SEOs and marketers, the time has definitely come to focus on mobile websites. And not only in terms of content, but also in terms of structured data, backlinks, hreflang tags and other factors.
When will mobile-first be introduced?
The mobile-first index will not be introduced overnight. Google is currently testing the new method with selected websites and evaluating the changes.
Tipps for SEO’s
If your website is already fully responsive or you are working with two versions that have the same content, structured data, etc., the switch should not be a problem for you. However, it is still wise to check mobile speeds and loading times and take advantage of possible optimization potential.
If you’re working with a standalone mobile site, there are a few key points to keep in mind:
Structured data: All important data must also be present on the mobile website. It is also important that all URLs belong to the mobile version.
Twitter Cards, OpenGraph tags, etc.: They should be properly implemented and optimized in the mobile version.
Content: From now on, the mobile site should have all the content of the desktop version. This also applies to small things like alt tags of images.
Sitemaps: Sitemaps should be accessible from the mobile site. This also includes the robots.txt and other onpage meta robots tags.
hreflang tags: For international websites, it is very important that hreflang tags are set on the mobile version.
Metadata: Titles and meta descriptions don’t have to be the same, but they should communicate the same thing. In the case of the mobile version, both are smaller, but they should not differ from the desktop variant in terms of content.
Google Search Console Verification: The mobile and desktop variants should both be verified.
If a website does not have a mobile version or is responsive, the index checks the content of the desktop version. It should be noted that good desktop websites are rated better in the ranking than bad mobile websites.
Wie wirkt sich der neue Index auf Websites aus, die auf der mobilen Version nur einen Teil des Inhalts besitzen?
Over time, many companies have chosen to present only part of the content on the mobile website. This was done because the intention of mobile users was often different from that of desktop users. For these sites, the desktop version will not immediately disappear from the index, but the content should be gradually implemented for mobile users.
In many industries, this separation of devices is no longer worthwhile anyway. In the past, mobile devices were mainly used to search for information and orientation, but nowadays smartphones and tablets are increasingly used for purchases and bookings. According to a study conducted by We are social last year, 26 percent of respondents said they make online purchases via mobile devices. Thus, it is important not to provide any content to mobile users in the future.
Future Google-Ranking-Factors
Presumably, the switch to the mobile-first index will have drastic effects. In 2016, Sundar Pinchai, Google’s CEO, announced that Google would move from mobile-first to AI-first.
Cindy Krum of Mobile Moxie thinks that Google will provide more direct information in the future and will move further and further away from URLs to organize web content. Google is already using structured data, interfaces and its own hosting services to present content faster and in the right format.
The most important ranking factors for 2018 are not affected by this and, as mentioned earlier, the Mobile-First Index will have little impact on companies that attach great importance to a good user experience.
