Google Mobile-First Indexing is Upon Us

Google has not set a singular date for the transition but has said it will be in March 2021, which is now. John Mueller, the Webmaster Trends Analyst for Google, discussed the timeline in a recent tweet.

Google’s switch to Mobile-First Indexing, boosts mobile-friendly content in search returns and blocks desktop-only content completely, will start to be enforced over the coming weeks.

As a result, search rankings and Google Ad fees for a website that isn't mobile-friendly are expected to be negatively impacted as the mobile-first strategy is implemented.

Google has not set a singular date for the transition but has said it will be in March 2021, which is now. John Mueller, the Webmaster Trends Analyst for Google, discussed the timeline in a recent tweet.

Asked by a Twitter user if Mobile-First Indexing would be fully enforced before April 1, Mueller said: "That's approximately the target. We don't have a critical reason to reach any particular cut-off date, so it could be that the remaining sites are a bit spread out, some earlier, some a little bit later.”

In other words, the implementation is occurring over the next several weeks, although for some sites Mobile-First Indexing might not be enforced until after April 1.

The change has been in the offing for almost a year and now it’s only a month away. If you feel like you’re in need of a crash course or just a review, here are some materials to explain what Google’s doing and what you need to consider in response.

Not Sure Where You Stand on Mobile Friendliness?

Essent is offering free mobile assessments*. We'll let you know where you stand on mobile-friendliness and your readiness for Google's switch to mobile-first indexing, whether you use an Essent SiteBuilder website or not.

How Mobile-First Indexing Impacts You

If there are significant differences between your mobile and desktop websites, March 2021 is likely to bring about some fluctuations in your search rank. They may not be favorable changes if your mobile site isn’t as strong or fully developed as your desktop site.

This overview article provides the lay of the land, an outlook on which sites are likely to be most affected, and some questions you can ask to assess your own mobile-readliness.

Do You Have a Mobile-Friendly Content Management System?

The web Content Management System (CMS) clearly should support mobile-friendly websites but also mobile-friendly websites that are easy to create and maintain: avoiding the unneeded work and re-work of making a mobile as robust as desktop; avoiding the re-coding of portions or duplicating of steps to make mobile and desktop "match;” and handling deeper technological infrastructure like structured data and metadata without the website creator having to worry about it.

This article explains how a mobile-friendly CMS eases the transition to mobile-first content.

The Best Approach to Creating a Mobile-Friendly Website

There are a number of ways to provide a mobile-friendly website. One is to use a mobile site and a desktop site as two different sites. Another is providing a single responsive site that adjusts to the screen size that it’s on.

We consider the single responsive site to be the superior option for providing a mobile-friendly web presence.

*Free assessment is for qualified parties only. Limit one per company and/or domain registrant. No warranty either expressed or implied. Offer subject to change or end without notice. No cash value. May not be combined with other offers. Void where prohibited by law. Terms and conditions apply.