Google’s Switch to Mobile-First Indexing was first announced way back in 2016, with the deadline for completion set for September of this year.
In-light of COVID-19’s impact on small businesses and large corporations, Google have now announced that the deadline has been moved to March 2021.
The announcement was made on the Official Webmaster Central Blog, stating –
‘We realize that in these uncertain times, it’s not always easy to focus on work as otherwise, so we’ve decided to extend the timeframe to the end of March 2021. At that time, we’re planning on switching our indexing over to mobile-first indexing.’
More Time To Prepare
Over 70% of sites have already moved to Mobile-First Indexing, but if you have one of the few sites yet to transition, you’ll now have a few more months to prepare for the switch.
We’ve previously given some tips on how to prepare for Google’s new indexing manner, but if you manage a site that’s still not transitioned, it might be worth checking Googles guidelines on what could be preventing the site from automatically migrating to mobile-first indexing.
Looking for Advice?
If you’re looking to learn more about the impact of mobile indexing, or would like to discuss how SEO could help grow your business – feel free to get in touch, and a member of our marketing team will happily answer any questions you might have!