Test your website online for the Google Mobile First Index
Sometimes in the digital arena you get lots of hype that comes to nothing but the Google Mobile First Index is NOT one of those!
If your website is not ready when this index rolls out your existing Google rankings will suffer greatly! No one knows when exactly it is going to happen but it is imminent.
So what is it & why are they doing it?
Previously Google have used the desktop version of your website first to rank sites. The mobile index means it will in future look at the mobile version first and foremost and that means load speed and formatting is critical.
More than half of all traffic is now conducted on a mobile device and Google predict that by the end of 2018 up to 79% of all GLOBAL traffic will be mobile. Not switching to mobile first will result in lots of dissatisfied searchers and Google don’t want their users going elsewhere.
Google’s primary aim, and the reason they are so powerful, is they have retained their mission to give the user information as fast and as accurate as possible.
Mobile Friendly or Mobile Responsive?
Mobile friendly is not the same as mobile responsive and if your site is only mobile friendly you are in trouble.
Mobile responsiveness means that your site adapts instantly to all devices with no pinching, zooming or squinting. A mobile friendly site may pass the current criteria for mobile display but the chances are your users are having to zoom a lot and no one likes that. Going friendly being mobile friendly simply won’t cut it!
Separate Mobile Sites not recommended
Going forward separate mobile sites are really not recommended. In addition to high levels of admin to keep both versions updated you run the risk of breaking duplicate content guidelines. If you do run a separate mobile site you should ensure that you have added that version with your Google console.
Do I Care?
If you don’t care about organic search or inbound leads then you can probably ignore the mobile first index completely.
How can I find out if we are Mobile Responsive?
Google, ever the giver, have provided an online tool where you can find out exactly how you fare in the mobile first index race. Click here to analyse your current mobile website. The report will tell you exactly what your load speed is and the percentage of traffic you are possibly losing as a result of load time. It will also list your top fixes which are likely to include compressing images and other resources.
We hope you have found this information useful? If you would like a personalised health check document including specific advice relating to the Mobile Index contact us any which way how!
The Lilac Team
