Google Mobile-first Indexing Explained

By MSW -

The world according to Google has changed once again, and it can impact your website rankings in a positive or negative way.   

Google is now using an algorithm that will crawl the mobile version of your website first to rank it for search terms.  They want to provide mobile users (think smart phone or tablet) the best results possible.  Mobile users are now the majority of internet users, and this is Google’s way of helping them find what they are looking for.



1.      So what does that mean for my website?
In the past, Google has used an algorithm (think math formula) to crawl the internet to find the desktop versions of your website and make a ranking decision based upon hundreds of different ranking factors. Now it's going mobile first.  If you do not have a mobile version of your website or your website is not built with a “responsive design”, then your rankings could be negatively affected.   To check if you have a responsive website, view it on a mobile phone.  If you have to “pinch and squeeze” to see your website content, it is NOT responsive design.

To do: Contact your website company to check on the mobile-friendliness of your website.

2.      I have a mobile friendly website – what can I do to help my mobile rankings?
As we have said in the past, content on your website is the first thing to look at.  Great text with your primary search terms is where to start.  Make sure your videos and images are in formats that can be crawled and indexed.   If you have a separate mobile website, ensure that you have equivalent title/header tags, and that you have links to sitemaps that are accessible via the mobile version.

To do: If you have a responsive design, there is nothing to do because Google sees the same site on mobile and desktop.  If you have a separate mobile website, get in touch with your website company and ask some questions about the SEO on it.

3.      What else can I do to help Google find my mobile-friendly website?
Social media is as important now as ever. Conduct an engagement campaign across several social channels (Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Google+/Instagram) and back link to your website.   If you have a "Google My Business” (GMB) account, make sure to have the correct address, telephone number, website link, and email for your company.  Add photos, and get reviews for your business in GMB.  You can now also make posts onto your Google My Business page. If Google gives you the ability to do it, you should do it.

To do: If you don’t have a Google My Business account setup, get one!  It’s free, and fairly easy to setup. Also, talk to your webmaster about Google Search Console. He or she can configure your site in search console and will have access to terrific data and recommendations that can help you in organic search.



Bottom Line Take Away 

If your website is not mobile friendly, it needs to be.  Check your rankings on your smartphone to see how your business is being affected with the new mobile first indexing.

As always, call us if we can help you.





MSWInteractiveDesigns.com
Phone: 877-211-5492

Info@MSWInteractiveDesigns.com

Location: 1636 Cherokee Rd, Lake Ozark, MO 65049, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Sources for Finding What's Trending

By MSW -
Image
Finding relevant content that your audience will want to read can be challenging for any marketer.  How do you know what people are interested at this point in time?  How do you get them to read your blogs or engage with your posts? One way is by finding what's trending.  Those of you that use Twitter for your business have probably seen the little box on the lefthand side of your Twitter home page that shows current Trends. These are topics that Twitter users are currently interested in and they change all the time. In addition to Twitter, there are other ways to find trending topics that you can use in your online marketing campaigns .  Check out a few of our favorites below: 1. Buzzfeed   BuzzFeed has the hottest, most social content on the web. They're redefining online advertising with their social, content-driven publishing technology. BuzzFeed provides the most shareable breaking news, original reporting, entertainment and video across the social web.  They featur
Read more

Protect Yourself from Falling for Phishing or Spoofing Attempts.

By MSW -
Image
We love to fish at the Lake of the Ozarks, but there is another kind of “phish” you should always avoid. Email is a popular target for cyber criminals to gather information and is often used for “phishing”. This communication method is an easy way to steal sensitive details about people or deposit malware or a virus on your device.  It’s widely used, because most people are generally trusting and/or curious. Our internet marketing company in mid-Missouri gets questions about this kind of activity from our clients. Learn what phishing is and how you can better protect yourself from a potential threat: What is Phishing? The term Phishing is coined after “fishing” and is when a cyber-criminal hangs a digital “lure” and waits for an unsuspecting victim to bite. A phishing email typically has a link for the email user to click, and attachment to open, or prompts an email reply. Once you’ve taken the requested action on a phishing email, the cyber bug is in and likely gathering perso
Read more

Proud Sponsor of Great Dam Duck Drop

By MSW -
Image
Getting involved and giving to our community is part of the MSW Interactive Designs culture. We instill the importance of getting involved in our team and we're proud to support our team members as they volunteer in organizations and charities of their choosing. The Great Dam Duck Drop is right around the corner and our internet marketing company in mid-Missouri is excited to be a part of this amazing event once again this year. Duck Drop Golf Tourney The "Quackiest" Golf Tournament at the Lake! Known as one of the most fun golf tournaments of the year, it's an exciting day of golf, great times, and showing support for some fantastic charities. Check out the details of the tournament below: The Golf Club at Deer Chase 4-Person Scramble Noon Registration & Lunch 1:30 PM Shotgun Start with Lunch and Check-in starting at 12:00 PM $125 per PLAYER Awards Ceremony after play! Entry includes: 18 Hole Scramble (Quack Holes Included!) 10 Duck Drop Tick
Read more