If ever there was a time to learn about how Google ranks your business it is now. Google’s new mobile-first algorithm will rank websites based on the mobile version of their web page rather than your desktop site. Mobile searches are increasingly on the rise and if businesses aren’t mobile-friendly then they will be left behind in the dust of their competitors. Google says:
“This can cause issues when the mobile page has less content than the desktop page because our algorithms are not evaluating the actual page that is seen by a mobile searcher.”
Up to this point, Google has indexed the desktop version of websites first but very soon Google will reverse this process indexing the mobile version first. This will have a significant impact on businesses that rely on light versions of the site for mobile users.
FACT: More people are using Google on a mobile device than on a desktop at this time and this will only increase in the months and years to come.
Prepare for these changes by checking that:
- Your mobile site is responsive and mobile-friendly. If in doubt check your site here.
- Your mobile and desktop sites are not significantly different or your site will be penalised.
- Both your mobile and desktop sites are verified in the Google Search Console.
- Your mobile site’s content and markup mirror your desktop site’s content and markup.
- Your desktop site contains your canonical links and mobile sites listed as ‘alternate’ if you are running two different websites.
- Google takes into consideration the rating of sites, favouring those having the highest ratings.