The first mobile first index Google tested was back in November 2016.  The experiment was the first step Google took to put mobile content ahead of desktop.  They were hoping that the experiment would run smoothly and the official launch would follow swiftly. We’re now in April and it seems that Google has been struggling with the mobile first idea.

Speaking at the Next10x Conference, Google’s Gary Illyes stated that the launch may come by the end of the year but that is unlikely.  It seems like we’ll have to wait several more months for the update to land. This is good news for any business that is still busy preparing for the new system.

What is the Mobile First Index?

Google’s mobile first index will rank the search listings on their engine based on mobile content, even for the listings that are going to show up on desktops.  The reason for the update is because more searches now take place on mobile devices than they do on desktops. Users are using their mobile phones to search and to browse, so it makes sense to deliver better results based on modern behaviours.

Google will still be crawling and ranking your website even if it’s not a mobile site.  If you do have a mobile site the content and the links will need to be close to the ones on your desktop version so it can be ranked and indexed correctly. If your mobile website doesn’t have as much content as your desktop you might want to start adding content. This is because Google might simply take the mobile version and fail to index you correctly.

The easiest way to prepare for the mobile first index is to make your website responsive. Need help updating your website? Speak to us about our web development services.