After 8 years of effort, Google searches will permanently change their face as of July 5, 2024 and sites that are not adapted will die.

GVTech News After 8 years of effort, Google searches will permanently change their face as of July 5, 2024 and sites that are not adapted will die.

Index Mobile First: Long-Term Transformation

Here we are, Google has officially announced Full switch to Mobile First indexing effective July 5, 2024. After first launching in 2016 and being delayed several times, this major change will have a major impact on how websites are indexed and ranked. from now on, All pages, whether recent or old, will be indexed based on their mobile version.

This move to Mobile First indexing therefore represents a critical step in the evolution of online search. Google will now use the mobile version of pages for indexing and ranking, putting an end to the era when a desktop version was required.

This development concerns all websites, highlighting the critical importance of mobile optimization.

In order to comply with the Mobile First Index, it is It is essential that the mobile and desktop versions of sites are identical in terms of content. Google warned of any significant differences between these versions, which could simply lead to indexing issues and reduced visibility in search results.

The American giant specifies this on its website Blog :

After July 5, 2024, we will only crawl and index these sites using Googlebot for smartphones. If the content on your site is not accessible at all from a mobile device, it will no longer be indexable.

Although Google is moving to mobile indexing, references to Googlebot Desktop can still be found in server logs and reports, where it is sometimes used to crawl product and job listings.

The Alphabet subsidiary recommends different actions to optimally prepare websites for Mobile First indexing:

• Use responsive design (responsive design) so that pages automatically adjust to all screen sizes.
• Check the mobile version of sites using Google Search Console to detect and correct potential errors.

Mobile user experience as a priority

This shift highlights the importance of user experience on mobile devices. Mobile page KPIs, e.g Greater coating content (LKB), Interact with the following paint (INP) and Cumulative planning transformation (CLS), plays a crucial role here in evaluating the navigation quality of users. These also affect the position of sites in search results.

Google provides various tools and resources to support site owners in this development. for example, Google search console Provides detailed reports on mobile indexing and page performance, while PageSpeedInsights It makes it easy to evaluate and improve your download speed.

Towards a mobile-friendly future

Google's introduction of Mobile First indexing paves the way for a future where adapting to mobile devices is no longer optional but obvious necessary. Therefore, website owners must anticipate this shift to ensure their visibility and success in the digital world.

By following Google's best practice recommendations, they can not only survive, but thrive in this new mobile-friendly environment.