Google has today reiterated that its plan to switch to Mobile first indexing is still going ahead albeit a little delayed.
Google first indicated that it would start using mobile results by default for search results in July 2019.
Today they announced that “we’ve decided to extend the timeframe to the end of March 2021. At that time, we’re planning on switching our indexing over to mobile-first indexing.”
This is an extension to the original timeframe of September 2020
What this means for you
If your website doesn’t follow the Google mobile guidelines, then you risk being dropped off the search index over time.
There are several things you need to check to ensure your website is ready for this change.
Use the same meta robots tags on the mobile and desktop site.
In English: All instruction to search engines must be the same on mobile and desktop versions of your website.
Don’t lazy-load primary content upon user interaction.
And the BIG one
Make sure that content is the same on desktop and mobile.
This is where you might find issues. Often website developers will remove elements that are visible on desktop to display your pages better on mobile – this is a no no.
What you need to do
Check if your website is already meeting the guidelines by using this tool: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
and if it isn’t:
Ask your developers to fix your website and ensure it follows Google’s guidelines for mobile first indexing.
If you have any questions then please contact Clickingmad on 01746 769612 or email info@clickingmad.com