How Will Google’s Mobile First Indexing Affect My Website?

Google has rolled out a new experiment to prioritise search results as mobile-first.

This is a remarkable shift in terms of website content ranking and related marketing and SEO efforts.

The question is: are you ready for this type of change? And how will the shift affect your website?

Read on to learn answers to all the questions about what mobile-first means to you, how you can keep your site competitive, and where to get the help you need from a reliable SEO agency.

Understanding Mobile First

As mentioned in the above-linked post from Google, the new shift in ranking places priority on mobile content over desktop. This is no accident from Google. Their trends indicate that most searches come from mobile devices. Why would Google want to continue to reference desktop sites to return mobile results?

The objective of the change, as always, is to produce more relevant search results for users. With more people searching on mobile, they’ll want to see mobile-optimised content that displays properly on their devices. This experiment will assess how much better a mobile first approach will achieve that objective.

Google Mobile First Q&A

Here are all the answers you need to hear on the top questions about this new (and pretty significant) change:

  • Q: What if I Don’t Currently Have a Mobile Website?
    A: The first answer to that question is that it’s time for you to catch up! As you read above, Google gets more searches from mobile users than desktop. If you don’t have mobile, you’re missing out on a large chunk of potential customers (and you should probably get in touch with a digital and SEO agency for website help).The good news is that if you have no mobile option, Google will display results from your desktop site instead. However, mobile users may not be able to see your site as intended due to display differences between desktop and mobile interfaces.
  • Q: What if My Mobile Site Doesn’t Have as Much Text or Content as My Desktop?
    A: This discrepancy is definitely a point you should consider as the shift continues to move toward mobile. Without a mobile site, Google will automatically display your desktop content. However, it will display your mobile content if you have it – even if there is less information than on your desktop.Because of this potential problem, you’ll need to make some changes to ensure that your customers and targets get the information they need through mobile.
  • Q: What Can I Do to Get Ready for Mobile First?
    A: As mentioned, your first course of action is to prioritise your mobile content or optimise your mobile site with the same information as your desktop. In many cases, the easiest solution is to achieve both goals through what is known as a dynamic site.Dynamic sites are probably the best solution for these types of problems. A dynamic site includes all the same base information (usually stored on a cloud), but it reformats the display based on the device. This helps keep your content mobile and desktop friendly without having to worry about maintaining two sites.In general, a website development and SEO agency can help you develop a dynamic site and not have to worry about Mobile First anymore.
  • Q: How will Mobile First Affect My Rankings?
    A: Google’s ranking system is based on a wide range of factors. The most important consideration is how relevant results are to users who are searching for specific topics.This means mobile content that has what users want will inevitably rank better. And if you only have a desktop site or a ‘lite’ mobile site without enough information, you’ll likely be left behind.
  • Q: What Should I Do Next?
    A: If you’re worried about your next steps or feel panicked about the changes, don’t worry because you’re not alone. You can get the specific help you need for SEO in Perth with a digital marketing and SEO agency. These experts can help you either create a mobile presence or make your content more mobile-friendly.Even just a few small steps can create big results with the Mobile First changes. Get your so-called ducks in order now to ensure you won’t miss out on any potential customers (whether desktop or mobile).
Kate Black is an online marketing account manager who writes for White Chalk Road, a Perth based SEO & Online Marketing company.  Kate can help improve your company’s ROI through strategic online marketing. You can connect with Kate on LinkedIn or Google +