Google still rules as the undisputed king of search engines. The site handles more than 35 billion queries per day from users all over the globe who are looking for everything from advice on how to handle personal relationships to finding a local coffee house. Google is a part of most people’s everyday lives and has gone through a variety of updates. However, a recent change known as mobile first indexing could change the way users find and view your website.
The mobile first index rollout was first tested in 2018 and is now being utilized across the web. The process involves indexing and ranking a site by its mobile versions first instead of the traditional desktop view. If you are unfamiliar with this new change, you might be interested to know what kinds of benefits it could offer if you engage in any type of digital marketing for your business.
1. Traditional SEO Tactics Will Remain Viable
Before you toss all your white-hat SEO strategies out the window, realize that the mobile first indexing rollout will not affect traditional optimization. The use of keywords, link building and other positive optimization tactics are not likely to become obsolete due to this rollout. This can be beneficial to you as a webmaster because even though you might have only recently optimized your page for mobile use, you will not have to modify it again.
2. Your Page May See Ranking Improvement
Clawing your way to the top of the Google rankings, including that coveted snippet feature, can take a great deal of hard work. However, the new mobile indexing rollout may help improve your page’s ranking without working yourself to death finding the right keywords and optimization techniques for your site. This can be especially true if many sites in your business niche have not yet improved their pages for mobile viewing.
For example, if you run a pet supply business and you have a mobile site, you may be ranked higher than competitors still running only a desktop version of their companies’ pages. While the rollout may take some time to properly index pages, having a mobile site may give you a head start when it comes to the ranking game.
3. You Can Go Mobile at Any Time
Unlike some past Google algorithm changes, the search engine company does not plan to penalize webmasters who do not have a mobile site running yet. However, since this new ranking process might affect your ability to rank well, you might want to consider adding a mobile version of your site as soon as you can.
Because you do not have to fear Google lowering the boom on you, you can take your time creating and testing a mobile site that may improve your rankings and provide your page’s users with an improved experience.
4. Flexible Menu Choices
If you want to improve or create a mobile page that will keep pace with the mobile first index rollout, the good news is that you can use a variety of menus that do not affect rankings. The more choices you have, the more appealing your site might look when mobile users view it. If you have a large menu on your desktop site, consider using accordion or tab menus to organize the sections and make it simpler for users performing a mobile search.
5. The Rules Are Simple
Mobile traffic has increased sharply in the past decade. In fact, the number of people who owned a smartphone in 2014 was just over 20% and then rose to 56% in 2018. This points to the obvious importance of mobile users for webmasters who are involved in digital marketing. However, one benefit of Google’s new mobile indexing system is that it will be simple for most site owners to implement. There are no specific rules to follow and all you need to take part is a mobile version of your current website.
6. Mobile Sites Can Help Your Business Grow
If you have not yet gone mobile with your business website, rolling with the new Google mobile indexing system may give it a much-needed boost. Smartphone technology is improving with each new iPhone and Android model, making mobile sites more popular than ever. When your customers can access a website that allows them to crawl your site on mobile and order products with the touch of an app, they are more likely to share a link on social media. Some companies, such as the pop culture merchandise seller Redbubble, have grown by leaps and bounds simply by word of mouth from people using the mobile site.
7. You Can Utilize Both Versions of Your Page
The mobile first index change does not mean that you have to delete the desktop version of your site in favor of a mobile one. Remember, this is a mobile first indexing process, not a mobile-only tactic, so you have the advantage of being able to run both sites without being penalized. However, you might want to keep your audience in mind when updating either one site or the other and consider which you should spend more time on.
8. Mobile-Responsive Sites Are Already Prepared
If you have put in a great deal of time into a site to make it responsive for mobile users, then you are already prepared for Google’s new indexing system. You will likely not have to make any major changes to either the mobile or desktop version of your website, as mobile-responsive sites already constantly sync with each other to accommodate any user.
Google’s mobile first index change offers many benefits to you as a webmaster. Contact Boostability today for assistance with creating a mobile website that will help you take full advantage and grow your online presence.
