What is mobile-first indexing and how does it affect responsive web design and SEO?

2 How to check if your site is mobile-first indexed?

Google has been gradually rolling out mobile-first indexing to all websites since 2018, and by March 2021, it will apply to all sites in the Google index. You can check if your site is mobile-first indexed by using the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console. If you see a message that says "Googlebot smartphone" under the "Crawled as" section, it means that your site is mobile-first indexed. If you see "Googlebot desktop", it means that your site is still using the desktop version for indexing. You can also use the Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check if your site meets the basic criteria for mobile usability, such as readable text, clickable links, and no horizontal scrolling.

3 How to optimize your site for mobile-first indexing?

If your site is already using responsive web design, which means that your site automatically adjusts to the screen size and device of the user, you may not need to make any major changes for mobile-first indexing. However, you still need to ensure that your site is fast, user-friendly, and consistent across both mobile and desktop versions. To optimize your site for mobile-first indexing, make sure that the content, images, videos, and structured data on both mobile and desktop versions are the same. Also use a clear and simple navigation and layout for mobile devices while avoiding pop-ups or other elements that may block or distract the user from the main content. Additionally, use responsive images and videos that fit the screen size and load quickly as well as web fonts that are legible and compatible with different browsers and devices. To improve speed and performance of your site, use techniques such as minifying code, compressing images, caching resources, and using a content delivery network (CDN). You can also follow best practices for SEO such as using descriptive titles, meta tags, headings, URLs, keywords that match user intent and query, as well as creating high-quality original content. Utilize tools such as PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, WebPageTest, Google Analytics, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Trends to measure and improve your site speed and performance.

4 How to monitor and measure your site performance and ranking?

After you optimize your site for mobile-first indexing, you need to monitor and measure your site performance and ranking to see if your efforts are paying off. You can use Google Search Console to track and analyze your site's performance and ranking on both mobile and desktop searches. You can use reports such as the Performance report, the Mobile Usability report, the Core Web Vitals report, and the Index Coverage report to see how your site is doing in terms of traffic, usability, speed, and indexation. You can also use Google Analytics to see how your site is engaging and converting your visitors on different devices and channels. You can use metrics such as bounce rate, session duration, pages per session, conversions, and revenue to evaluate your site's user experience and business goals.

5 How to stay updated and informed on mobile-first indexing?

Mobile-first indexing is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires constant attention and adaptation. Google is always updating and improving its algorithms and ranking factors, and you need to stay updated and informed on the latest changes and trends. You can follow the official Google Webmaster Central Blog, the Google Search Central YouTube channel, and the Google Search Central Twitter account to get the latest news and tips on mobile-first indexing and other SEO topics. You can also join the Google Search Central Community, where you can ask questions, share feedback, and learn from other webmasters and experts.