What is Mobile-First Indexing?

Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking. Your mobile site is now the primary version Google considers when evaluating your content.

This shift happened because most people now search on phones. Google wants to rank sites based on what the majority of users actually see, not the desktop version that fewer people use.

Why mobile-first indexing matters

If your mobile site is missing content, has slower page speed, or provides a worse experience than your desktop site, you'll rank lower. Google judges your entire site based on the mobile experience.

Many older websites still have separate mobile and desktop versions with different content. If your mobile version is stripped down or missing key pages, Google might not rank those pages at all.

What This Means for Bloggers

Most modern blogging platforms are already responsive, meaning they automatically adapt to mobile screens. If you're using WordPress, Ghost, or similar platforms built in the last few years, you're probably fine.

Check your site on a phone. Can you read the text without zooming? Are buttons easy to tap? Does it load quickly? If any of these are problems, you need to fix them.

How to Prepare

Make sure all your content appears on mobile, not just desktop. Don't hide important text or links on smaller screens.

Test your Core Web Vitals on mobile. Mobile connections are often slower, so page speed matters even more. Optimize images and reduce heavy scripts.

Use Google Search Console to check how Google sees your mobile site. Look for any mobile usability issues and fix them promptly.