In 2018, Google made mobile-first indexing the standard for all newly launched domains. While this shift was welcomed by advertisers and individuals establishing new websites, it raised concerns for existing domains. Websites already designed to be responsive and mobile-friendly didn’t face issues, but those lacking such features might encounter difficulties.

Image Source The first quarter of 2019 witnessed a surge in organic search on mobile devices exceeded half of all searches, with mobile websites securing the top spot experiencing a 6.32% rise in click-through rate (CTR). Remember the days when achieving a 3% CTR was a reason to celebrate? Currently, mobile users constitute nearly 50% of all web traffic. If you’ve been hesitant to optimize your website for mobile devices, consider this your wake-up call—the time for action is now. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of mobile-first indexing, encompassing:

• A definition of mobile-first indexing
• The advantages of mobile-first indexing for advertisers
• Solutions to prevalent mobile-first challenges

Understanding Mobile-First Indexing

According to Google, “over time, our algorithms will primarily use the mobile version of a site’s content to rank pages from that site, to understand structured data, and to show snippets from those pages in our results.” In essence, your mobile site takes precedence over your desktop site in Google’s eyes. It’s crucial to distinguish between ranking and indexing, though they are intertwined. Indexing refers to how Googlebots and other web crawlers interpret your page, while ranking involves the evaluation of that indexed content. If your page is not indexed correctly, your rankings will be negatively impacted.

Image Source Indexing forms a fundamental aspect of technical SEO, an often-overlooked yet vital component of a comprehensive optimization strategy. While local and traditional SEO concentrate on page content and user experience, technical SEO ensures web crawlers can accurately assess and rank web pages and websites. With mobile pages poised to become significantly more crucial than their desktop counterparts, prioritizing mobile indexing is paramount. This shift aligns with a trend toward mobile preference that Google initiated several years ago. Initially, responsive websites received a ranking boost. Subsequently, page speed and load times became metrics for mobile page ranking. As of the previous year, slow-loading pages have experienced ranking demotions in search engine results pages (SERPs). Content management system (CMS) platforms such as Squarespace, Wix, and the ubiquitous WordPress have embraced the concept of mobile dominance. For instance, most managed WordPress hosting providers integrates responsiveness through its theme developer community, recognizing that offering mobile-first, responsive themes out-of-the-box is a highly effective way to attract website owners. This trend will only escalate as mobile devices continue to eclipse desktops in usage. A harmonious blend of local, traditional, and technical SEO ensures your website is crawlable, indexable, mobile-friendly, and fast. Simplicity is key, benefiting everyone involved, from developers to end users.

In Conclusion: Mobile Reigns Supreme

SEO optimization and achieving high page rankings are more critical than ever, with increasing competition making these goals more elusive. To understand the significance of mobile optimization for advertisers, consider these statistics—a word of caution: ignoring them could lead to traffic and revenue losses.

Based on 2019 reports:

• Paid search and social media witnessed the most substantial gains in traffic share.
• 33% of surveyed individuals reported clicking on a paid advertisement because it directly answered a search query.
• Nearly 50% of all business are adopting digital marketing platforms without a clear strategy for their effective utilization, resulting in wasted time and money due to poor ROI.

Advantages of Mobile-First Indexing for Advertisers

The most significant benefit of mobile-first indexing for advertisers lies in reaching their target audience swiftly. As an advertiser constantly seeking optimal allocate digital marketing dollars, ensuring ad visibility is crucial to avoid wasted expenditures. With mobile devices surpassing desktops, this is where valuable ad revenue is generated. Securing a first-page ranking on SERPs offers significant advantages, as first-page results capture 92% of all consumer web traffic. Therefore, any legitimate measure taken to improve ranking is beneficial. The preceding statistic highlights the essence of this article: Mobile devices dominate the market, and the vast majority of clicks go to websites on the first page of search results. Achieving a first-page ranking seems crucial for business survival.

Mobile traffic share from 2009 to 2018. Source: Statista (2019) For those without a mobile website, the solution is simple: Get one promptly. There’s no alternative. Currently, Google’s ranking system remains largely unchanged, but preference will be given to to index mobile web pages first during indexing. Websites limited to desktop versions should experience consistent evaluations, though rankings might still be negatively affected. One final piece of advice: Given Google’s substantial influence on page indexing and rating, it’s wise to stay informed about changes in its metrics and recommended best practices, particularly regarding ads and their placement.

Addressing Common Mobile-First Indexing Issues

Google collaborates closely with webmasters to ensure the proper structuring of web pages for mobile-first indexing. Encouragingly, over half of all pages appearing in global search results have successfully completed the transition. What’s hindering the rest? It’s possible that Google hasn’t evaluated your website yet (a notification will be sent via your search console when this happens) or your web design lacks responsiveness. Several factors could be contributing to this.

1. Improper Data Structuring

Many webmasters structure data primarily for their desktop website versions, which becomes problematic under the mobile-first requirement. Since evaluations prioritize mobile versions, this can be rectified by testing and comparing both versions or by examining the source code during mobile simulations using Chrome DevTools..

2. Missing Alt-Text on Mobile Web Pages

While some web designers incorporate alt-text for images and other non-textual content on desktop versions, they sometimes neglect to do so for mobile versions. Adding “img” tags and other alt-attributes to each mobile web page is the simplest solution. Manually reviewing all mobile source code for the correct tags is recommended.

3. User-Unfriendly Elements

Although Googlebot doesn’t directly interact with your webpage, it assesses websites based on a set of criteria during crawling. The most effective way to identify potential issues is by personally using your mobile website and noting any aspects that could pose difficulties for mobile users. Googlebot can detect problems such as excessively small font sizes, cramped elements, or buttons and links prone to accidental clicks.

4. Slow-Loading Mobile Web Pages

Mobile users often search on the move, requiring instant access to information. This makes speed and uptime paramount for website owners. A recent meta-analysis of uptime data revealed significant variations in both average loading speed (ranging from 336 ms to 7502 ms) and average uptime (from 99.993% to 97.643%, a 2.35% difference) between shared web hosting reviews. While seemingly insignificant, this translates to nearly 206 hours of downtime annually. The decline in mobile advertising CPM rates alongside rising CTR (especially on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram) benefits advertisers. However, this increased engagement is irrelevant if websites are slow to load or inaccessible.

Image Source In a cost-conscious world, remember that your choice of web host directly impacts information delivery, online security, and mobile website performance, ultimately affecting your entire business. Opting for a budget host might offer initial savings but could result in significantly higher costs due to reduced speeds and downtime.

Concluding Thoughts

How effective is your technical SEO strategy? Google’s URL inspection tool allows you to verify mobile-first indexing. This tool enables inspection of live or indexed URLs, testing of URL indexing, requesting indexing, and viewing rendered page versions. The information presented here underscores the importance of adopting a mobile-first design approach for both advertisers and website owners. Google advocates for it, which should be reason enough.