Google’s Mobile First Index Not Expected This Year

Google Mobile First Index

Gary Illyes, the Google webmaster trends analyst, confirmed suspicions that Google’s mobile first index will not arrive in 2017. Speaking at the SMX Advanced conference, Illyes stated that Google were many quarters away from launch. Despite everyone expecting the launch to be in 2017, it’s now expected in 2018 or perhaps even later. There isn’t even a timeline for the launch, so we shall be waiting and watching for some time yet. Google are promising to keep publishers informed of the launch. Great news for those businesses out there that still have work to do in order to rank well on the new index from launch.

Marketers have been waiting to learn more about the new index as it will bring about a big change. The mobile first index will give rankings for websites that are based on the mobile content. This is why it’s definitely worth your time in ensuring your websites and apps are working smoothly on mobile devices. More and more people are using mobiles to browse and buy online. Google is dedicated to providing their users with the best search experiences and results. This is why they are working so hard to perfect the mobile first index.

The good news is that Google are looking at ways to roll out the index without harming websites that aren’t modernised for mobiles. They plan on proactively talking to webmasters and publishers throughout the process to avoid nasty surprises.

Mobile Friendly Websites

Illyes said that those businesses with responsive websites have nothing to worry about. There may be a couple of necessary tweaks, but in general, the content on mobiles will be the same as on desktop.  It is worth mentioning that desktop content won’t stop ranking when the switch to the mobile first index occurs. All it means is that the mobile content will take priority and will be indexed before desktop is looked at.

Keep an eye on the updates provided by Google regarding the mobile first index. What Google want you to know is that you do have some time left to get prepared. You might only need a few alterations made to the way your structured data is presented. Perhaps you’ll need to make your website responsive or build a mobile dedicated site. You do have some time left to get organised and working on making the changes. Contact us to discuss our web development services and start making your website mobile friendly, today.