All You Need to Know About Mobile-First Indexing
We don’t have much time to waste. Let’s cut right to the chase by asking you some vital questions. Does your site mobile have the following qualities?
- Mobile friendly
- Responsive
- Conversion rate optimized
I think the most important question we should be asking is, why are all those qualities essential? In December 2016, Google made an announcement that was set to change the mobile and tech world. They had a plan for the future, which was experimenting with mobile-first indexing. In December 2017, they confirmed that they would officially proceed with the plan. However, the rollout of the program will be slow. That is good news for users since they will have enough time to jump ship. We have compiled some tips and best practices that will help you stay ahead of the game. Putting the tips in use will make sure your search rankings are not interrupted by the transition. You are probably wondering if your rankings will be affected if your site is already mobile-friendly. The answer is yes, it could. Just having a mobile-friendly site is no longer enough. The best way to make sure your website is fully accessible and indexed is by having it built using responsive web design. A well-built website should look good and have great performance on any device. Dynamic serving is an extra setup that enhances the mobile experience. We are trying to use simple layman’s terms as much as possible, to help you understand better. Dynamic serving refers to how your website changes how it shares its contents with the user. It all depends on the type of device that requires to be fed the information. However, do not despair if the site you are currently using isn’t built using responsive web design. It’s not the end of the world!
Here are some tips from Google to make sure that your site is prepared to mobile indexing;
- Your content should be high-quality and fully optimized.
- Organize your data in a clean format. An organized site is easier to access and navigate.
- Have metadata in both versions of the site: mobile and web.
- sites are okay. However, if you use different URLs, ensure you set up canonical and alternate tags.
- Ensure your M. sites can handle a high number of navigators.
How do you stay ahead of the game in mobile-first indexing? The indexing makes you feel as if we are going back to the basics of SEO. However, the techniques required are far from basic. Here are a few Google tips;
- Have high-quality content and optimize it. At this point, you must be getting tired of this phrase. I’m sorry, but it’s going nowhere. Who is to blame for this? You, your friends and your family. Every human being loves the finer things in life, which are quality. They are so loved that they hold power to reach a great magnitude of people. We can compare this to a good joke. If you find something funny, you will want to tell it to as many people as possible. Secondly, you will be making your content perfect. To be successful, you must ensure you understand the needs of your target audience. It is also important to know the intentions of your audience in their search. When you do all this, you meet your audience in an understanding way and use their language.
- Have clean and organized data. Coding has become a street skill nowadays. Almost anyone can learn it. It doesn’t matter who built your site. It could be a self-taught website builder, a geeky young relative, or a professional web designer. It all boils down to the ease of reading the code. “Easy to read” may be understandable to you. However, it may not be understood by a layman who navigates your site. Ensure your data is well organized in a friendly format.
- Metadata. Do not confuse this the common “meta descriptions” in articles that require 160 words. Here, we are talking about your content. It refers to how navigable your site and content is. For text, it could be schema mark-up. If its images and videos, the information is different. It can describe details such as; size, color, depth, and resolution. It can also give information on when this data is made. Let’s learn the importance of metadata. As a site owner, you should know the limitations of your audience, which are web crawlers. They cannot see and have to find a way to interpret the images and content uploaded on your site. They have to read the metadata. You read that, right! You may not be sure of how to code in metadata or tags. Not to worry. You can feed the properties of images and videos into your computer. Here is a simple guide.
- Right-click the image
- Select properties
- Go to details and edit
Most of these fields can be edited. If you cannot edit, there is a good reason for it.
- Mobile dot websites. A good example is m.keystoneclick.com. In earlier years, phones had web-based capabilities. It was an almost impossible task to visit websites and navigate. However, the game was changed with the introduction of mobile dot websites. The “M” in websites instructed browsers that the site was the mobile version. If you were using a mobile phone, you would be redirected to that site. These browsers still exist. However, they are not often seen. In recent times, developers have changed their design approach. Responsive design and dynamic serving are what’s currently in use. I know, you are already tired of those terminologies. If you use these, ensure the canonical and alternate tags are set up appropriately.
- Capacity Increase. Google expects an increasing number of mobile users in the future. You should adequately prepare for the same. The speed and stability of your site are directly related to the user experience on the site. If it loads slowly or doesn’t load at all, it’s cause for worry. If it’s being slowed down by a high number of visitors to your site, it is a cause for concern. So, how do you ensure your site loads quickly? Your starting point should be viewing the files you upload to the site. Examples of things to consider are the sizes of the files, images, and videos. The size influences the loading speed. It can overwhelm the visitor’s device. They may have a harder time downloading large files. Nobody wants slow loading speeds; therefore, ensure you prioritize this when improving your site. Also, ensure your site is easy to navigate and as detailed as possible. Scanty information will only lead to a decrease in visitors. On the other hand, interesting and informative information will attract more visitors to your site.
When you follow all these steps, you are set for mobile-first indexing. Take these five tips into serious consideration. If you do, your site will be easy to index by Google. Google indexing will translate to more customers visiting your site since it will be easy for them to find your site in searches.