Google recently announced that in 2018 they will be rolling out their mobile-first index which will mean big changes for those who still do not have a responsive website. The news does not raise any eyebrows as the number of searches via mobile devices has now surpassed the number made from the desktop.
To present the most interesting and up-to-date search results to its customers, Google collects information about all web pages in a huge catalog. When you enter a search phrase, the search engine uses this index to present the answers. In the past, Google has looked and searched all the desktop versions of websites, but is now switching to the mobile version of your website being the primary page indexed, making the desktop version secondary. This means that your mobile page will be the one that is ranked and assessed for the position you should get in the feed.
Google has previously released updates along the same lines, such as Mobilegeddon 2015, where it changed its search algorithm and placed mobile-friendly websites at the top. This was done to make it easier for mobile users to choose easy-to-read websites.
How should we think then and what does Google decide to be mobile-friendly?
Your website should display correctly and be easy to read on a mobile device, content should load quickly, and buttons and menus should be easy to use without having to zoom or scroll.
So no time to lose, make sure your mobile web is better or at least as good as the desktop version!
