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We all know that more and more people are using the internet from their mobile devices: accessing news, social media, shopping sites and info whilst on the go rather than whilst sitting at a desk. As mentioned in our Mobile Responsive blog post earlier this month, in the UK smartphones have overtaken laptops as the most popular device for getting online. The latest move from Google then should really come as no surprise.

Google has announced it will soon be switching to a mobile first index. What this means is that Google will be indexing the mobile versions of pages as its primary index rather than the desktop version. This is a massive change, especially if your website is not even mobile responsive at present. Google has always used the desktop version of a page for ranking, even when serving results to users on a mobile device, so things are really being shaken up. Google is not eliminating the desktop index, but the mobile one will be the primary and freshest index.

For sites that use responsive web design, and have the same content on both desktop and mobile, this change is no big deal. However, website owners who have a separate mobile version of their website need to make sure the mobile version has all the content and keywords they need. If the mobile version omits content or keywords potential customers could be searching for, it may be that their website will simply not appear to users in future.

The big lesson from this is: it’s essential you choose a web designer who understands the importance of designing for all devices. If you need help with your web design contact us here at Spartan in Exeter, Devon for up to date, responsive, mobile friendly websites.