Recent statistics show that up to 59.4% of all web traffic globally comes from mobile devices. This makes mobile-first indexing more crucial than ever for search visibility because if a business website isn’t optimised for mobile devices there’s the risk of losing visibility in search results, as Google prioritises mobile-friendly sites for indexing and ranking.
Mobile-first indexing means Google uses the mobile version of a website as the primary basis for indexing and ranking rather than the desktop version.
When Google first noticed the mobile search surge in 2015, they launched the “Mobilegeddon” update, marking mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor. By 2016, they began testing mobile-first indexing on select sites, leading to a gradual rollout in 2018.
After almost 7 years, in October 2023 Google announced that mobile-first indexing was complete.
Now in 2025 we’re at a crucial junction when sites without mobile accessibility face the risk of becoming non-indexable and if they’re not optimised for mobile devices, they’re likely to be experiencing significant drops in search visibility, or even complete removal from the search results.
So now is a critical time to implement mobile-first best practices, if not already done so. These are:
1. Prioritise mobile performance
Mobile site’s performance directly impacts a business’s search rankings. Here’s what’s necessary to focus on:
- Optimising Core Web Vitals
- Reducing load times to under 2.5 seconds
- Minimising JavaScript execution
- Implementing efficient image loading strategies
2. Content parity is critical
Ensure the mobile site maintains content quality while adapting to smaller screens:
- Keep all important content from your desktop version
- Maintain equivalent headings and structured data
- Preserve internal linking architecture
- Keep metadata consistent across versions
3. Technical optimisation
Several technical SEO elements require attention:
- Configure proper viewport settings
- Ensure crawlability of resources
- Implement responsive design practices
- Verify proper canonical tag implementation
4. User experience considerations
Mobile users have unique needs that must be addressed:
- Create thumb-friendly navigation
- Use readable font sizes
- Implement adequate spacing between clickable elements
- Avoid intrusive interstitials
5. Testing and monitoring
Regular maintenance is essential for mobile success:
- Use Google’s ‘Lighthouse’ automated tool to help improve the quality of web pages
- Monitor mobile performance in Google Search Console
Conduct regular mobile usability audits - Track mobile vs. desktop rankings separately
It’s important that these best practices are implement as mobile-first indexing isn’t just another algorithm update. It’s a reflection of how people access information today.
Success requires a holistic approach that balances technical optimisation with user experience. By implementing these practices, your business is not just preparing for mobile-first indexing but also building a foundation for long-term search visibility.
If you want to know more about how the implementation of mobile-first best practices can help your business, please get in touch.