On 1 July, 2019, Google will make mobile-first indexing the default setting for all new websites, so the need for better optimised mobile sites is now greater than ever.
For reference, indexing is where search engines search for data in websites and downloads it into databases for the purpose of displaying the most relevant data to their users.
Traditionally, indexing would be done by using the desktop version of a site’s content when evaluating its relevance to a user, but as mobile devices play an ever-increasing role in our lives, so the dynamic has changed.
Google explains: “From 1 July, all new sites previously unknown to Google Search will default to mobile-indexing, while for older websites, we’ll continue monitoring and evaluating pages for their readiness for mobile-first indexing, and will notify them through Search Console once they’re seen as being ready.”
From a consumer perspective, it’s all good news – the above basically means that new websites are now generally showing users – and search engines – the same content on both mobile and desktop devices.
So for the average website owner, this means an even more focused push on getting your mobile site as optimised as possible, as a bad mobile experience could negatively affect your ranking on Google. By contrast, a well optimised site will lead to a boost in rankings.
If you’d like to evaluate your current website, run it through the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console. By looking at a URL on your website there, you’ll quickly see how it was last crawled and indexed.
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