Google has started prioritizing crawling mobile versions first. This brings quite a bit of change for anyone working with SEO in one way or another. We’ve put together a list of recommendations to help you survive and thrive.
There’s strong evidence that Google, at least in some areas, has rolled out its new approach for handling websites by prioritizing the mobile version. Those of you who follow our newsletter have already received plenty of information on what we can expect, but we thought it was high time to get something up on the blog about this topic as well since it will have a significant impact.
What we’ve observed about the mobile update
To begin with, let’s talk about what we’ve seen. On several sites, we’ve noticed that attributes unique to the mobile version are now being displayed in search results, rather than the desktop version (where they were different). In the past, Google largely ignored how the mobile version looked, which meant that aspects like titles and meta descriptions weren’t given as much attention. To reduce load times on the mobile version, it was often reasonable to cut out anything not absolutely necessary. However, in these cases, we’ve now seen that things look different in the search results.
According to Google, they’ve started rolling out the new search results for certain users. We can’t say how widely this has been implemented, but personally, I feel lucky to have seen so much of it in advance.
Implications for SEO
What does this mean for your search engine optimization? It actually means quite a lot. To begin with, it means that Google will start using the mobile version’s attributes to rank content. If you don’t have all the text on your mobile version that helped you rank well before, this could create problems. If you’re missing meta descriptions, titles, and similar elements, you’ll need to add them. The most concerning scenario, in our opinion, is when the mobile site lacks a full navigation menu.
Our recommendations
We therefore recommend that you review your mobile site, and we suggest focusing on the following points:
- Site speed: You’ll need to have really short load times on your mobile version to keep up in the long run, and this could give you an advantage right now. This applies to the desktop version as well.
- Navigation: You must be able to navigate to all pages on the site even in the mobile version. The navigation should also be well thought out, considering PageRank and similar factors, in the mobile version as well.
- Ensure all desktop content is available on mobile: Make sure all the text from the desktop version is also on the mobile version. You can use tabs and accordions for this, something Google recently (probably for this reason) confirmed will have the same effect as fully visible text, which they previously said would not count.
How urgent is this?
We haven’t assessed this as an urgent matter. Our recent recommendation to clients has been that if you don’t have a mobile version, it’s time to start working on it. If you already have a well-optimized site, you can probably take your time, depending on how complex it is to create a search engine-friendly mobile site. The three points above, however, are something I think it’s time to review, and we’re happy to assist. If you’re a client, you’ll soon receive a review in your inbox. If you’re not but need help, I suggest you request a quote.
With greetings from sunny Malta
I’m currently down in Malta meeting clients and partners, so I thought it would be fitting to share a picture of my workstation. I’ll see you soon back in Sweden.
Magnus Bråth
CEO
Magnus is one of the world's most prominent search marketing specialists and primarily works with management and strategy at his agency Brath AB.