How to optimize mobile-first indexing
L'ottimizzazione per i motori di ricerca (SEO) è destinata a cambiare in modo rilevante nei prossimi giorni. L'aggiornamento dell'indicizzazione per dispositivi mobili di Google, pianificato per marzo 2021, rimuoverà tutti i siti "solo desktop" - e le immagini o le risorse esclusive in un sito solo desktop - dall'indice di Google.
Thanks to the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, Google will only use the mobile version of content for indexing and ranking. But before we look at some best practices for mobile-first indexing, let's clear up any confusion about the update and its meaning.
Mobile-first indexing is currently the default setting and has been for some time. Any website new to the internet or Google Search after July 1, 2019, primarily uses the mobile version of the website for indexing.
The mobile-first and desktop indexes are the same. There's no new indexing process: the update means that Google will use the mobile version of a website for indexing and positioning rather than the desktop version.
Non esiste una "scelta" in merito, Google ha deciso così. L'obiettivo di Google è spostare tutti i siti sull'indicizzazione mobile first e spetta ai proprietari dei siti web prepararsi e conformarsi.
So what are the best practices for mobile-first indexing?
Now that we have a better understanding of mobile-first indexing and what it entails, let's discuss some best practices you can implement to ensure seamless browsing from March 2021.
1. Implement responsive web design
If you haven't already, it's time to join the 70% of mobile-friendly websites. So with the responsive web designA responsive website ensures that users always see an optimized version of the site, regardless of device or screen size.
A responsive website is advantageous for its flexibility: responsive web design means that website owners do not have to create multiple versions of their websites to adapt to different devices.
If you already have a responsive web design, mobile-first indexing shouldn't have a significant impact on your site's performance in search engine results pages (SERPs). However, if you're in the process of developing your website's responsive design, these web design tools can help. In fact, Google has stated that responsive websites that properly utilize dynamic serving don't need to make any changes.
2. Can Googlebot access your mobile website?
Googlebot is Google's web crawler software and must be able to access and display content. It's necessary to allow Googlebot to examine your site's resources and ensure that the mobile version doesn't have different URLs than the desktop site. It's also important to check for disallows that could block the URL.
To ensure your site appears at the top of the search results, you must use identical meta robots tags on both mobile and desktop sites. Different meta robots tags may prevent Google from crawling and indexing your page when your website is enabled for mobile-first indexing.
Infine, assicurarsi di utilizzare il "caricamento lento" detto anche lazy-loading per i contenuti principali. Il caricamento lento è una tecnica di ottimizzazione che differisce il caricamento di contenuti che non sono né visibili né critici. Tieni presente che Googlebot rifiuterà di caricare contenuti che richiedono il caricamento di qualsiasi interazione dell'utente, come la digitazione o il clic.
3. Analyze structured data
If you have chosen to structure your data with markup, you need to make sure that it is present in both the mobile and desktop versions and that both are identical.
You also need to ensure that URLs in mobile versions of your structured data are updated to mobile URLs.
4. Double-check your ad placements
Ads can impact your mobile page rankings if you're not careful about where they're placed. When viewing ads on mobile devices, you should refer to the Better Ads Standard and ensure they meet its criteria.
5. Pay attention to the visual content
Any image or video on the mobile version of your site has its own set of best practices. When it comes to images, you should provide the user with high-quality images in a supported format. Make sure to only include images with a sufficiently high resolution that won't appear too small when viewed on a smaller screen.
For images and videos, be careful not to use URLs that change as a page loads. If URLs keep changing, Google won't be able to process and index the images properly.
As for video content, it must be easily viewable on a mobile device and must be in a supported format with relevant tags. It's best not to place a video too far down the page, forcing users to scroll endlessly. The best practice for structured data also applies here: keep this data identical on mobile and desktop versions.
Conclusion
Things are changing rapidly, and currently, most people online prefer to access the internet on their mobile devices rather than on a computer. This is due to the ease and convenience mobile devices offer. Google's decision to move to mobile-first indexing is a quick way to address this need while also demonstrating how much we rely on mobile devices.
