Will Your Website Be Impacted By Google’s Mobile-First Index?
Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, making many website owners feel like they are trying to hit a dartboard while wearing a blindfold. How can you dial in your SEO strategy if you are chasing a moving target?
Here at Sprocket Digital, we are working hard to help our clients stay ahead of the changes in the industry. Today, we want to help you see the importance of a mobile-friendly website design.
Mobile Internet Searches
Google’s Mobile-First Index is a topic that has been at the forefront of the SEO conversation over the past year. More people are using their smartphones for online searches, and the use of desktop computers for internet searching is decreasing. So, the goal is to cater search algorithms to match the primary users. When a user looks at search engine results, every website should be easy to view on a screen of any size.
These small algorithm changes have started to prioritize mobile content over sites that don’t cater to mobile viewing. The full-release of Mobile-First Indexing hasn’t gone live yet. But, Google representatives suggested that the main rollout will be implemented in full sometime in 2018.
Do You Have a Mobile-Friendly Website?
An old practice is for websites to be designed with a corresponding mobile version, such as m.domainname.com or domainname.com/mobi/. Even though these website versions can be viewed on smaller smartphone screens, they aren’t ideal for the upcoming algorithm changes. Instead, the design should be viewable on all devices, and adjust to match the size of the screen.
If you don’t have a responsive website, then right now is the perfect time to make the change to ensure that you don’t lose your online rankings. Investing in a responsive website design is essential if you want to maintain a presence in the search results.
