Since its introduction in 2016, Google’s mobile-first indexing initiative has fundamentally altered the process of how websites are indexed and ranked in search results. This innovative approach entails prioritizing the mobile version of websites for indexing and ranking. As a result, Google primarily relies on the mobile rendition of a website to comprehend its content and organization for indexing and ranking purposes. This strategic shift was prompted by the escalating prevalence of mobile usage for internet browsing.
The initiative’s initial timeline for completion was set for October of the previous year. However, a recent announcement from Google’s John Mueller has revealed that the final phase of mobile-first indexing is not expected to be completed until after July 5, 2024. This extension provides website owners and developers with additional time to focus on optimizing their sites for mobile-first indexing and ranking.
Shifting to Mobile Googlebot
According to Mueller, Google will transition a small set of websites from being crawled by the desktop Googlebot to being crawled by the mobile Googlebot after July 5, 2024. This change will only impact a limited number of sites as most of the web is already being crawled in this manner, and there will be no differences in crawling for these existing sites. However, after July 5, 2024, these specific sites will undergo crawling and indexing exclusively by Googlebot Smartphone.
The Importance of Mobile Accessibility
It’s essential to understand that Google now requires websites to be accessible on mobile devices for indexing. If your site’s content is not easily accessible on mobile, Google will not include it in its index. This requirement does not mean that your site needs to be fully mobile-friendly, but if it fails to load or render properly on mobile devices, Google will not index it. Additionally, if you have a template designed only for desktops, it’s still acceptable as long as the desktop version functions correctly on a mobile device.
Continuation of Some Desktop Crawling
Google has decided to keep using the Googlebot Desktop crawler for certain tasks, including product listings and Google for Jobs. You can expect to see Googlebot Desktop in your server logs and reporting tools.
Why This Matters
It’s important to remember that if your website doesn’t load properly on Android phones or iPhones, Google may not crawl and index it after July 5th. Make sure your site is accessible on mobile devices and use the Google Search Console URL Inspection tool to verify that the site is rendering correctly. To stay ahead of the digital curve, contact us to learn more.
