Mobile-First Indexing Checklist [PDF]

Mobile internet usage is taking over and creating a business landscape in which a seamless mobile experience is no longer cutting edge: it’s essential. Regardless of a company’s size, industry, or target audience, mobile is key, and the center of a mobile marketing strategy is the brand’s mobile website.

What is Mobile-First Indexing?

Mobile-first indexing is a ranking strategy that will prioritize how a website performs on mobile devices over how it performs on desktop displays.

The change represents a huge shift for digital marketers. Previously, mobile website performance only affected mobile search and a relatively small percentage of mobile users. As Google’s mobile-first indexing rolls out, however, mobile website performance will affect a site’s rankings on desktop as well as mobile searches. That suddenly makes the mobile site a top SEO and digital marketing priority.

Why Mobile-First Indexing?

Despite some upset among marketers, Google isn’t setting a trend: it’s following one. People depend on their mobile devices more than ever for internet access and activity:

• More Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries including the US. (Google)
• 77% of mobile searches are made where a desktop PC is available. (Google & Nielsen)
• The number of mobile-only Internet users now exceeds desktop-only users in the U.S. (comScore)

And B2B is by no means exempt:

• 90% of executives use mobile devices to research business purchases. (Google)
• Google recently experienced 91% growth, over two years, in B2B researchers using mobile search throughout the entire path (not just the initial stages). (Google)
• B2B purchase rates on mobile devices rose 22% from 2013 to 2015. (Google)

Buyers and consumers are increasingly mobile-first, and Google—as always—is giving users what they want … and dragging digital marketers along with them.

How to Prepare Your Site for Mobile-First Indexing

Mobile-first indexing is ultimately about the mobile-friendliness of your site. A combination of the right tools and your own experience will help optimize the site.

1. The right tool—A good tool for assessing how well your site functions on mobile devices is Google’s own Mobile-Friendliness Tool. If Google finds things that hinder a mobile experience on your site, it will tell you what they are so you can get your web dev team to work.

2. Your own experience—Additionally, take a few minutes to pull up your site on your own mobile device and navigate through it. Click on links, fill out forms, etc. Just because Google doesn’t find technical errors or common display issues, doesn’t mean the site provides the best mobile experience that it could.
   
   Experiencing and working with the site on your own mobile device—and asking your team or a few friends to do so on their devices—will provide insights that no mobile simulator can generate. You don’t just want your mobile site to be compatible, you want it to be the best.

For a complete list of factors that will affect your site’s mobile compatibility, download our Mobile-First Indexing Audit Checklist by filling out the short form on the right. Whether your business uses responsive design, dynamic service, or a completely separate mobile site, this 30-item checklist will ensure a comprehensive review of the brand’s mobile experience.

A mobile-friendly website is no longer just about leading the competition, it’s becoming increasingly vital. As Google tests and prepares to roll out mobile-first indexing, the stakes are getting even higher. Make sure your brand doesn’t get left behind.

If you would like an experienced SEO analyst to help review and prepare your site, contact us about a Mobile-First Indexing Audit. Our SEO analysts take a hands-on approach that reviews your site against a comprehensive list of technical factors to make sure it is ready for the new age of mobile-first web traffic.