Google has been issuing an increasing amount of “mobile-first indexing enabled” notifications through Google Search Console recently. The switch is part of Google’s shift to a mobile-first index for its search rankings algorithm, which began rolling out earlier this year. While some sites have already made the changeover, more and more sites have been notified, with a flood of alerts being issues over the last week.
What does “mobile-first indexing enabled” mean?
Google is issuing “mobile-first indexing enabled” notifications to sites through Google Search Console that they now primarily crawl and assess as a mobile site. Mobile-first means, for SEO purposes, that Google is more concerned about the website’s content, structure, design and performance on a mobile device, rather than desktop.
What actions should be taken?
For a non-responsive website or sites that perform poorly on mobile, this presents a significant problem. More than half of all website traffic is from mobile devices, and this major change by Google illustrates a broader change in user behaviour. Organisations must recognise the importance of mobile and responsive web design and take action to ensure their websites are designed and built to offer a great user experience across all device types.
If you’re concerned that your website isn’t mobile-friendly, then you should take immediate steps to rectify this as soon as possible. For more information, please contact our team.