Mobile-first indexing means Google uses the mobile version of your website to include your pages in its search results and decide where they rank. So it's not your desktop version but what someone sees on a phone that counts. If something only appears on the desktop version of your site, Google may not take it into account.
Google started this switch years ago and now uses the mobile version for almost all websites. Yet we still often see sites where the mobile version is a stripped-down copy of the desktop. In this article you'll read what mobile-first indexing means in practice and how to check that your site performs well.
What exactly is mobile-first indexing?
Google visits websites with a program called Googlebot. In the past, Googlebot mainly looked at your site as a desktop computer. With mobile-first indexing, Google looks as a smartphone. What that smartphone Googlebot sees is what goes into the index: the huge database Google draws its search results from.
Important to know: there's only one index. There's no separate mobile and desktop ranking. Even someone searching on a laptop gets results based on what Google saw of your mobile version.
Why does Google look at mobile first?
The reason is simple: most people search on their phone. For many local businesses, such as a hairdresser, plumber or takeaway, most visitors arrive via mobile. Google wants the page it shows to work well on the device someone is searching with. A site that looks great on desktop but loads slowly on a phone or shows half the text gives that searcher a poor experience. That's why the mobile version has become the starting point.
Mobile-first indexing and a responsive website
Mobile-first indexing isn't the same as a mobile-friendly website. A responsive website adapts to every screen. That's the design. Mobile-first indexing is about which version Google reads. On a well-built responsive website, mobile and desktop have the same content, just arranged differently. Then you have little to worry about.
Problems mainly arise with:
- Separate mobile websites, for example on m.yourdomain.nl, that have less content than the desktop version.
- Responsive sites where pieces of text, images or links are deliberately left out on mobile to make the screen calmer.
- Old sites where the mobile menu has fewer links than the desktop menu.
- Sites that only load content once someone clicks or taps something.
What should be the same on mobile and desktop?
In short: everything you consider important for Google must also be on the mobile version. Run through this list:
- The main text of every page, including subheadings.
- Images and videos, with the same alt text.
- Internal links, including those in the menu and footer.
- The title and meta description of every page.
- Structured data, such as business details, reviews or products.
- Robots settings: a mobile page mustn't be set to noindex if the desktop page isn't.
Content behind an accordion or tab on mobile is usually not a problem. As long as the text is in the page's code, Google can read it. It goes wrong when the content is only fetched after the visitor clicks something.
How to check the mobile version of your website
You don't need to be a specialist to do a first check. Start with this:
- Open your most important pages on your own phone. Is everything there that you see on desktop? Does the menu work? Can you easily call or fill in a form?
- Use URL Inspection in Google Search Console. It shows which crawler Google used to view your page and what the page looks like after loading.
- Open the developer tools in Chrome and set the screen to a phone size. Compare the content with the desktop version.
- Measure the speed on mobile. Google considers an LCP under 2.5 seconds, an INP under 200 milliseconds and a CLS under 0.1 to be good. More in our explanation of Core Web Vitals.
Common mobile-first indexing mistakes
- Shortening text on mobile 'because nobody reads on a phone'. Then Google doesn't read it either.
- Replacing images on mobile with smaller versions without alt text.
- Putting important links only in a desktop menu.
- Lazy loading that only starts when someone taps or scrolls in a way Google doesn't mimic.
- Pop-ups that cover the whole screen on mobile when someone arrives. Annoying for visitors, and Google may take it into account.
- A separate mobile site that isn't properly linked to the desktop version.
- Blocking files such as CSS or JavaScript in robots.txt, so Google can't build the page properly.
Getting your site ready for mobile-first indexing
If you have an older website or you're unsure, you can gain a lot in a few steps:
- Make a list of your ten most important pages.
- For each page, compare the mobile and desktop versions: text, images, links and structured data.
- Put missing content back on mobile. Use accordions if the screen gets too full.
- Switching from a separate mobile site to a responsive website? Set up redirects from the old mobile URLs.
- Then test again with URL Inspection in Search Console.
If your website really falls short on mobile, a redesign is often wiser than endless repairs. In that case, also read our article on redesigning your website.
A website built mobile-first
At Violexa we design every website for the phone first, and then for larger screens. The content is the same on every device; only the layout adapts. That way you have nothing to lose with mobile-first indexing. A custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT), including design, development, a design that works on every screen, SEO basics, Google Analytics, a CMS connection and training.
Want to know how Google sees your site on mobile? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we go through your site on mobile together. You get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What does mobile-first indexing mean?
It means Google uses the mobile version of your website to index and rank pages. What's on the phone version determines how findable you are, including for people searching on a computer.
How do I know if my site is indexed mobile-first?
That's now the case for almost all websites. In Google Search Console, URL Inspection shows which crawler Google used to view your page. It will say Googlebot smartphone.
Does text in an accordion on mobile count for SEO?
Usually yes, as long as the text is in the page's code. It goes wrong when the content is only loaded after someone clicks it. Then Google may miss it.
Do I still need a desktop version?
Yes, because lots of people still use a laptop or computer. With a responsive website you have one site that adapts to every screen, with the same content everywhere.
