In November 2014, Google announced that mobile-friendly sites would be indexed higher when a search is carried out on a mobile device.
Mobile devices mean smartphones and tablets instead of feature phones (older phones that are not web-friendly).
Google has announced that it will rank mobile-friendly websites higher when the ‘searcher’ uses a mobile device.
The change will affect mobile searches worldwide in all languages and significantly impact search results. Google is trying to make it easy for users to find relevant, high-quality content optimised for devices.
In other words, if Google detects that the page is not mobile-friendly, it may not correctly serve it to mobile searchers.
A Google spokesperson has said this change will not affect the search results when using a desktop computer. But in my opinion, it will affect desktop search results.
The more clicks your site gets on Google, the higher they rank you. So if your site is getting more clicks on a mobile device, it is obvious it will be ranked higher across the board.
All pages on your site must be mobile-friendly to pass the Google Test and get higher rankings.
What to avoid when creating a mobile-friendly website
When thinking about a mobile site, avoid frustrating mobile users – such as unplayable videos (use YouTube embed), Flash or large images. You can stop these features from showing in responsive web design on mobile devices.
The future of mobile search
There is talk of having a completely separate mobile search index. Watch this space!
