Smartphones and tablets have taken the world by storm, and as a result, almost 60% of all searches now begin on mobile devices. But Google is still operating with one search index. Sure, there was Mobilegeddon in 2015 and AMP indexing earlier this year that put more emphasis on mobile-friendly sites, but at the core, the results are pretty similar no matter which device is used to search. But soon, this will all change.
Google’s Gary Illyes just announced that the search giant is developing a separate mobile search index. It will operate independently to give mobile users the most relevant, freshest content—and the desktop index will take a back seat.
The mobile index is going to become Google’s primary index, which is great since more searches take place on mobile, but desktop searches do still account for 40% of searches, so they shouldn’t be forgotten. While there are still a lot of unknowns in regards to the mobile index, it is understood that the mobile index will be updated more rapidly, so searchers may turn to mobile when they want the most current content. The desktop index will still be updated, just not as frequently.
As of right now, the mobile index is still in the works; however, Google states that the new mobile index should be live in the next few months. Whether this change will impact you really depends on how you set up your site. The best approach is to use a responsive website, which takes the same data as your desktop site and simply alters its format to fit the size and structure of the screen it is being viewed on.
It’s not surprising that Google Search is adding a mobile index, as it will greatly benefit the searcher, as well as the websites that oblige with the mobile standards. To learn more about converting your website into a responsive one, contact Zero Gravity Marketing now. You don’t want to be left behind when the mobile index goes live.