Post by shikharani00189 on Oct 31, 2024 1:08:53 GMT -5
Google , through Gary Illyes , published a long press release about the Mobile-First index on December 18 , 2017. As originally announced, Google is informing users of the developments of this new mobile index so that they can best prepare for this phased migration. Google has already discussed this topic during YouTube sessions, PubCon in Las Vegas, and recently at the "SEO in 2018" event held in Paris on December 1, 2017 ( report ).
So far, we know little about the Mobile-First index, except that it is off page seo service being deployed batch by batch, that it will serve as a reference for indexing but also for the positioning of web pages in the engine. According to Google, its implementation should not change the SERPs, which seems simply impossible in practice, especially with a batch deployment (indeed, a multi-stage implementation risks creating side effects and modifying at least a little the order of the pages in the SERPs in theory).
The press release recalls that mobile content will be indexed and used to position pages in order to better reflect the current use of the search engine (more than 50% of queries are made on Google Mobile worldwide). Webmasters should therefore expect a significant increase in the use of GoogleBot-Mobile to the detriment of the historical GoogleBot for computers. What's more, the pages cached and accessible by SERPs will be versions of the Mobile-First index after the migration . Google also took the opportunity to remind that the firm recommends switching all sites to responsive web design, although mobile sites or Dynamic Serving will still be authorized of course.
The press release recalls some simple tips to ensure good preparation for the Mobile-First index :
Make sure that the mobile version of your site does not hide important content (ideally, both versions should offer the same content) so as not to lose value when indexed. This ranges from textual content to structured data, also used on mobile to display additional information.
If the site is multilingual, make sure that the "hreflang" attributes are present in the mobile version (if it is responsive, it should be the case in theory...). The same goes for all metadata tags, by the way, the mobile version must be identical on this point.
Google is asking mobile site owners to make sure their server can handle the increased frequency of GoogleBot-Mobile visits due to the Mobile-First index. Normally, this should be the case, but if you have a high-traffic mobile site, this could decrease overall performance.
In the press release, Google makes it official that the migration to the Mobile-First index is already underway. If the required criteria are already in place, then your sites are ready for indexing. Nothing tells us when this will be effective, but Google will be able to integrate them into batches very soon . The deployment should take even more months, so all this will be spread out over time, with the risk of seeing some movements in the SERPs.