Mobile-first indexing is one of the most important updates of the Google algorithm. It came into force in July 2018 with the aim of responding to a need that has now become a priority: guaranteeing users an increasingly efficient use experience on mobile devices. The use of smartphones and tablets is always increasing and Google, as a result, tries to adapt its methods of evaluating websites based on how people browse on the Internet.

This change will greatly affect the work of the professionals who work in the web field, as they will have to get used to a different way of thinking and content. Who does not adapt to the logic of mobile-first, is likely to suffer the negative effects that can cause this update to Google thus benefiting the competition.

What is Mobile-first Indexing?

This implementation consists of a new methodology for indexing sites and web pages. Google, from now on, during the crawling phase will give priority to sites optimized for mobile and to the quality of their optimization.

Even sites that have not been updated according to this logic will be clearly indexed and scanned by the Googlebot, based solely on their desktop version, but risk being outclassed on SERPs by competing sites updated according to the mobile-first logic.

Mobile-first indexing can be considered as a revolutionary change by Google, as it will no longer be sufficient to meet all on-page optimization requirements to aim to improve its web reputation and positioning.

Developers, web-designers and web-copywriters during the creation or revision of a site, will also have to pay close attention to the aspects that allow a quick and efficient use of the contents of a simple smartphone from the point of view of displaying the contents.

Why did Google opt for Mobile-first Indexing?

The implementation of Mobile-first Indexing is a logical consequence of the evolution of users’ habits of using web content.

The use of mobile devices is already very high and continues to increase. This is confirmed by the data of Audiweb, according to which only in July 2018 the Italian users who accessed the Internet via smartphone were 28.9 million, against 12.9 million desktop accesses.

Considering Nielsen’s statistics (dating back to April 2017 but very significant) it is clear that Italian users have spent – on average – almost 80% of their time on the Internet on a smartphone and only 20% on a computer.

The graph below shows more details about the time spent on mobile and fixed devices by men, women and different age groups. In all cases, the percentage of time spent on smartphones and tablets clearly exceeds that on the computer.

Even on the basis of a more global vision, values ​​do not differ much from those in Italy. A Zenith study (data from 2017), in fact, calculated that 73% of the time spent on the Internet by users in the 52 countries considered for the analysis was spent on mobile devices.

Google has always worked to provide its users with quality content that is easy to use and, in accordance with the data just mentioned, has understandably decided to give priority to all web portals capable of adopting the mobile-first logic.

How to optimize a site for Mobile-first Indexing

The precautions to be taken so that a website is perfectly optimized for mobile are of different types, some more technical and others more linked to the display of contents.

One of the main aspects is the loading speed. It is in fact known that the average user when using a smartphone generally does not have the time – or patience – to wait for a page to load: if it opens slowly it is easy to leave it. PageSpeed ​​Insights is a free tool from Google which, following the insertion of a url in the appropriate space, allows you to understand what is the speed of a web page, its state of optimization and the elements on which it could intervene to increase the loading.

To increase browsing speed it is suggested not to include in the mobile version of the site pop-ups that cover the main information and useless animations. These elements could slow down the loading of the page and its contents, with the risk of discouraging the user to remain there. A mobile-fiendly web page must therefore be clean and free of superfluous elements.

Optimization of images and videos is also essential. Entering the title and the alt tag allows faster loading. For these elements, their quality, format and size are also fundamental, which must not be too heavy.

As for the less technical aspects, it is essential to think about the contents in such a way that the user can easily enjoy them. The font must be legible and not too small. The organization of the text is also important; we must ensure that it is ordered, subdivided into paragraphs and, if possible, also in bullet points, as they help reading.

All these little tricks help the user of the web page in reading its contents, so that it remains as long as possible on it without being tempted to leave it prematurely.

How to know if your site is mobile-friendly

A very useful tool to understand if a site is adequate to the Mobile-first Indexing parameters is Google Mobile-Friendly. It indicates its level of optimization, also showing the graphic representation of how it is seen on a smartphone screen.

The first step, however, is to pay attention to the mobile optimization of a web page at the very moment in which it is constructed, at least for its graphic and textual parts. There are several themes for cms that allow you to evaluate what would be the aspects of the page displayed by desktops, smartphones and tablets and to make any appropriate changes during the work.