The popular search engine, Google, has announced in their official blog that they have started experimenting with a search index which is mobile-first. Currently, the desktop version of webpages is used by Google's ranking system for indexing purposes, though most users access Google search via mobile devices. The fact that pages optimized for mobile consumption contain less and simpler content than desktop pages, prevents Google algorithms from accurately ranking websites for mobile users.
However, the change is not going to be apparent immediately. Product Manager at Google, Doantam Phan, said that they were "only beginning this process", and will remain in the experiment stage for the next few months. Initial changes will be implemented on a small scale, and once a smooth user experience has been established, Google will gradually ramp up the roll-out process.
Phan clarified that the search index will continue to be a unified directory of applications and websites (mobile and/or desktop). However, the algorithms that determine ranking and data snippets displayed by Google search will henceforth be mobile-driven. "If you only have a desktop site, we'll continue to index your desktop site just fine, even if we're using a mobile user agent to view your site," assured Phan.
Websites that use different configurations for mobile and desktop will primarily be the ones affected, while dynamic webpages which sustain the same content and markup for both desktop and mobile usage will not need to make any changes to ensure a better search index ranking. Google's primary goal is to ensure a flawless user experience. "Of course, while our index will be built from mobile documents, we're going to continue to build a great search experience for all users, whether they come from mobile or desktop devices," said Phan.
Source: Google Starts Experimenting with Mobile-First Search Indexing
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