Google Defaults to Mobile-first Indexing for New Domains

With mobile device usage surpassing desktop usage on the internet in 2016, website designers had to shift their focus for those on smaller screens. As a result, responsive sites, that automatically adjust content and image sizing for mobile devices are becoming the norm.

Starting July 1, 2019, Google will begin indexing all brand new by default, never seen before websites with its smartphone Googlebot. This came after a data-backed decision by Google that most websites built today are designed in a responsive format.

What This Means for Developers

There are over 200 ranking factors Google takes into consideration when determining where your website ranks against competitors. Several of these factors are directly related to how websites perform on mobile devices. Google has an article on its developers.google.com subdomain that addresses these factors – Prepare for mobile-first indexing.
The main focus needs to be on image sizes and compression, text size, tap targets, decreasing site latency, using the latest transfer protocols, and transferring as few bytes as possible when loading webpage resources. In doing so, it is vital to test the page layout and functionality on both virtual devices (Chrome developer tools) and actual phones and tables with varying operating systems and sizes.

What This Means for Business Owners

Your website could drop considerably in rankings, leading to a reduction in organic traffic unless there is effort made to update your website. Work with your developers or digital marketing team to ensure your site is up to Google’s standards.

Make Sure Your Site Ranks in the Mobile Index

Don’t have a site yet? Our website and creative design team can make sure your site is up to Google’s recommendations.Have a site that needs work? Our experienced SEO team can help with UX, pagespeed, and indexing.

Contact us today to learn more about the full suite of AVX Digital’s capabilities.