So, it’s confirmed. Google is going ahead with its plan of moving more and more sites to mobile-first index. You’ve been hearing about Google’s plans for a very long time (precisely, since 2015 when mobile searches surpassed desktop searches for the very 1st time ), but it was only recently confirmed when Gary Illyes, who likes to refer himself as the “House of Elf and Chief of Sunshine and Happiness at Google”, revealed the search giant’s plan at PubCon Las Vegas 2017.
Ever since the revelation, everybody (who earns their bread and butter online) waited with bated breath for more updates. Surely, the update came very soon on 21st February, 2018 at PubCon Austin where he cleared all doubts and announced that the search giant is indeed steadfast on its mobile-first decision and will be bringing onboard as many websites as possible to its mobile-first index.
Announcement – In the next month and a half or so, Google is moving a LOT of sites to mobile first. @methode #Pubcon
- Marie Haynes, who was in the audience at PubCon, posted the above on Twitter.
Jesse McDonald, who was also present in the audience, posted on Twitter stating:
In the coming weeks, several sites should start seeing a switch to the mobile-first index. @methode #Pubcon
Are you wondering how this Google update affects you? Well, it does and in a big way. Here’s how…
Google’s mobile-first index is the search giant’s step at looking, indexing and ranking the web from the perspective of mobile-first. And for everybody having a desktop website, it means that you will no longer get “primary” preference. The first preference goes to mobile-optimized websites and desktop websites will have to settle for “second-class” treatment.
So, now that we have your attention, let us tell you how you can prepare for the transition.
Previously, Google used to index websites based on their desktop experience and the content found on those sites. However, things are a little different now.
Now, the search giant has begun to index websites on the basis of their content and mobile experience. Desktop experience is no longer a priority and mobile is fast gaining traction. This move can largely be attributed to the 5.135 billion mobile users in the world. And that number is only growing!
Needless to say, if your website is not optimized for the mobile, you’re going to have a really hard time ranking anywhere on top of the search engine results page. But, it is not the time to freak out yet. There is still time and there are things that you can do to stay afloat, such as:
> Read the Webmaster blog post that Google It contains a detailed explanation of the mobile-first indexing.
> Talk to a website design & development expert and quickly make your site responsive. Yes, it may involve investment, but it is better than losing the customers and digital market share that you already have.
> Do not have a responsive site and can’t afford one right now? Well, at least make sure that your principle content is on your mobile website.
Is your website mobile-friendly yet? Well, hurry up! You wouldn’t want to be at the receiving end of Google and bring doom to your flourishing online business.