Request a Website Audit to Get Your Marketing on the Right Track! Get Started ->

Web Savvy Marketing

We are web designers, SEO consultants, bloggers, social media enthusiasts, and WordPress experts all rolled up into one.

  • Home
  • Our Agency
    • Industries We Serve
    • Sample Client List
    • Testimonials
    • Charitable Contributions
    • Events and Community Involvement
  • Website Design
  • SEO Consulting
  • Blog
    • Search Engine Optimization Articles
    • Website Development Articles
    • WordPress Articles
  • Contact

03.27.18 Search Engine Optimization

Google’s Mobile-first Indexing is Here

Hand Holding Mobile Phone With Search PageAfter a year and a half of testing, Google has finally started migrating websites over to mobile-first indexing.

Yes, friends, it is here. But don’t panic. The sky is not falling and search will go on.

So what is mobile-first indexing? In Google’s latest release they define it as the following:

To recap, our crawling, indexing, and ranking systems have typically used the desktop version of a page’s content, which may cause issues for mobile searchers when that version is vastly different from the mobile version. Mobile-first indexing means that we’ll use the mobile version of the page for indexing and ranking, to better help our – primarily mobile – users find what they’re looking for.

What Does Mobile-first Indexing Mean for Webmasters and Marketers?

Google will continue to have only one index (database of content) that it uses for providing search results. Up until this month, Google’s used a website’s desktop version for indexing content. Moving forward Google will be using the mobile version of a website or blog’s content.

Here are some additional details:

  • While this change is rolling out, it will be done in waves and you may not be included in the changes at first.
  • Google will notify you via Google Search Console when this change is processed on your website or blog.
  • Mobile-first indexing is about how Google gathers content, not about how content is ranked. Content gathered by mobile-first indexing has no ranking advantage over mobile content that’s not yet gathered this way or desktop content.
  • If you only have a desktop website (aka it is not mobile responsive), you will continue to be represented in Google’s index although you may not be ranked as well in search.
  • Being indexed in this new manner operates independently from Google’s mobile-friendly assessment, which can alter your ranking.

Here is a great recap of changes by Google:

Mobile-First Change Recap from Google

Wrap Up

Most of our readers already have mobile responsive websites in place. If this is you, note that you probably don’t to worry about this change.

If your website is not mobile responsive, you should move quickly and correct this issue. You can either update your existing website for responsive behavior or you can utilize a new website template that is already coded for mobile responsive activity.

If you have a mobile website and a desktop website (two different websites) then you should review Google’s guide for best practices to make sure Google understands your content and can crawl it correctly.

Tags: Google, Google Search Console

Like this article?

Sign up and receive weekly updates via email. Don't worry, we value your privacy and we hate spam just as much as you do.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Rebecca Gill's avatar

Rebecca Gill

Rebecca is the founder and president of Web Savvy Marketing, a Michigan digital marketing agency. She has a well-rounded business background within SMB and enterprise organizations, as well as over fifteen years of experience in sales and online marketing. She provides SEO consulting services for clients, SEO coaching on Clarity.fm, teaches SEO at diySEOcourses.com, and has a weekly podcast at SEObits.fm. Learn more at RebeccaGill.com.

Comments

  1. 04.03.18 at 3:14 amAndy Roberts says

    It’s an interesting one because you think anyone that understands the basics of search would already be in tune with mobile responsive issues. They don’t need to be SEO “experts” just look at how your website performs on mobile and ask yourself how good the user experience is. It’s a good round up, I particularly like the bit where you mention Google will update us through Search Console, I’m really not sued to Google being that helpful lol!!

  2. 05.08.18 at 7:39 pmElizabeth Devine says

    You mentioned that this roll-out will be done in waves. I already received this notification in Search Console just the other day. Is this normal? My site is mobile friendly so I shouldn’t have anything to worry about? Thanks

    • 05.09.18 at 7:22 amRebecca Gill says

      Your notification is normal yes. If your website is already mobile friendly and the content is consistent across devices, you should be perfectly fine. Just watch your crawling and ranking within Google Search Console to make sure there are no major changes.

Request a Website Audit

Did you try a DIY website audit checklist, only to find you missed the important items that would truly influence your SEO, traffic, and revenue? What you really need is a professional website audit to keep your website and SEO healthy.Request Your Audit

Browse the Blog by Category

  • Branding (8)
  • Community Involvement (37)
  • Content Marketing (11)
  • Internet Marketing (60)
  • Search Engine Optimization (93)
  • Social Media (24)
  • Website Development (59)
  • WordPress (92)

The Beginner’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization

Learn what SEO is and why it matters to your website or blog. Download the free eBook and start your SEO journey.Download the eBook

Let's Create Something Together

We'd love to help you create something amazing.
Reach out to us and tell us about your vision.Say Hello

Full-Service Digital Marketing Agency

TwitterYoutubeFacebookLinkedinGoogle +

About Us

  • Our Digital Marketing Agency
  • Industries We Serve
  • Client Testimonials
  • Community Events
  • Charitable Contributions

Design and SEO Services

  • Logo Design
  • Website Design
  • Custom WordPress Themes
  • PSD to Genesis
  • SEO Consulting

WordPress Services

  • WordPress Customizations
  • Support and Maintenance
  • WordPress Upgrades
  • WordPress Migrations
  • WordPress Training
Made With Love in Michigan | Copyright © 2009 - 2022 Web Savvy Marketing | All Rights Reserved
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Sitemap