Google mobile first indexing is now default for all new websites!
As you may recall from our blog on this topic way back in May of last year, “Google Mobile First Indexing” is the term used to describe the fact that when Google indexes your website to assess it’s suitable place in rankings, it now crawls the mobile version of your site first… sort of.
For older websites, they’re giving you time to get up to date before they begin indexing the mobile version of your site before the desktop version because they’re aware that this is a huge change that will take time. However this most definitely will not last forever and Google have been more than reasonable with this given the rise of mobile devices in the last 10 years and how essential it now is to have a mobile accessible website.
For new websites however, this just became much more important. All new websites will now be mobile first indexed by default, meaning if you build a new site that isn’t mobile friendly (a responsive website is usually best) then you can expect your rankings to under-perform. But don’t look at this as another hoop that Google wants you to jump through. They’re not just trying to get you to perform random tricks. This is a well thought out and evenly considered decision that has been made which will benefit you as a business and your customers. They’re not going to offer up results that don’t fit with the way people use the internet in 2019 and if you have any interest in success online then you shouldn’t want anything less than the best possible website regardless of budget. Not being multi-device friendly is just not good business anymore. So take a look at Google’s official statement and if you’re building a new site, be sure you’re compliant!
