After approximately a year and a half of testing, Google rolled out its mobile-first indexing in March of 2018. What does that mean, and what does it mean for you? Second part first: if you have a mobile-responsive website already (you do have a mobile-responsive website, right?), you probably won’t see much, if any, change in your site’s ranking. But you still need to know what mobile-first indexing means and why it’s important, so let’s unpack it.

What Is Mobile-First?

Before we get into what mobile-first indexing means, it’s worth a moment to talk about how Google ranks websites in the first place. Basicially, Google deploys robotic programs called crawlers to the Internet, and these crawlers go from page to page, following links and sending data back to Google. This data gets entered into Google’s massive Search Index. Then, Google’s algorithm–a closely guarded secret formula that changes frequently–ranks the sites and serves them to users based on the search terms they enter.

In the past, Google’s crawlers would search the desktop version of websites. Going forward, the crawlers will be searching the mobile version instead. Why? Globally, the number of people accessing the Internet via mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have surpassed the number accessing it on computers. In August 2017, 52.7 percent of people worldwide accessed their Internet on a mobile device, with the highest rates of mobile adoption being in Asia and Africa.

Mobile Indexing and You

First, the good news: Most sites, even those without a (gasp!) mobile-friendly version, won’t have any changes to the way Google crawls and indexes them. Why not? Because there is no separate mobile-friendly page. Responsive design means never having to worry if your site can be easily read on a phone or tablet.

However, some sites still use a parallel structure for their desktop and mobile sites. Some will have separate URLs, often with an “m.” in front of the main URL. It’s known as m-dot and looks like “m.yoursite.com.” Others use dynamic serving, meaning that, although there is only one URL, users see different content based on what device they are using.

These sites may be affected by the change in Google’s crawling practices. Here are some tips to ensure your site won’t take a big hit the next time Google crawls it.

  • Ensure your content is the same on both the mobile and desktop versions
  • Ensure there is metadata–descriptions, alt tags, title tags and so on–on both the mobile and desktop versions
  • Ensure that the structured data–such as your Schema.org descriptions–are the same across both the mobile and desktop versions of your site

If your site has an m-dot structure, follow these additional tips:

  • Ensure your canonical and alternate link elements are correct across both versions of your site
  • Ensure your robot.txt directives, which tells Google’s crawlers what to crawl, are consistent across both versions of your site
  • Mobile links should point to other mobile links, and desktop links should point to other desktop links
  • Verify both versions of your site on Search Console

Cut Through the Clutter

Of course, the best thing you could do is not worry about mobile versus desktop in the first place and design your site responsively. Responsive design changes form and shape based on the dimensions of the screen upon which it is viewed.

Responsive design can be tough to pull off yourself. Luckily, you have an ally in Points Group, and we have some of the best developers in the business ready and able to convert your site to a responsive design and eliminate your mobile indexing woes. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help.

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This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which Points Group, LLC collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a “User”) of the https://www.pointsgroup1.10web.me website (“Site”). This privacy policy applies to the Site and all products and services offered by Points Group, LLC.

PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, subscribe to the newsletter, respond to a survey, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may visit our Site anonymously. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personal identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site related activities.

NON-PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION

We may collect non-personal identification information about Users whenever they interact with our Site. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about User’s means of connection to our Site, such as the operating system and the Internet service providers utilized and other similar information.

WEB BROWSER COOKIES

Our Site may use “cookies” to enhance User experience. User’s web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert them when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

HOW WE USE COLLECTED INFORMATION

Points Group, LLC may collect and use Users personal information for the following purposes:

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  • Information you provide helps us respond to your customer service requests and support needs more efficiently.
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HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our Site.

SHARING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We do not sell, trade, or rent User’s personal identification information to others. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personal identification information regarding visitors and users with our business partners, trusted affiliates and advertisers for the purposes outlined above. We may use third party service providers to help us operate our business and the Site or administer activities on our behalf, such as sending out newsletters or surveys. We may share your information with these third parties for those limited purposes provided that you have given us your permission.

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Users may find advertising or other content on our Site that link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that website’s own terms and policies.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

Points Group, LLC has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically and become aware of modifications.

YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

CONTACTING US

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:

Points Group, LLC

https://www.pointsgroup1.10web.me

150 Morristown Road, Suite 220

Bernardsville, NJ 07924

This document was last updated on July 24, 2014