There’s no going back. In April 2016, mobile overtook desktop for internet access, and it was no accident. Many factors, whether demographic, generational or related to consumer habits, are driving us to use these devices more and more for online shopping. Today, especially in Asia, some eShops record staggering figures, with over 90% of sessions from mobile devices, and there seems to be no limit.
Google has already acted and will start prioritizing mobile-friendly versions in its famous ranking algorithm with Mobile First. Here are the details.
Google’s Mobilegeddon update
In April 2015 we had to deal with mobilegeddon, a Google update that penalized, in mobile search results, websites with no mobile or responsive version that only had a desktop version of their website or eCommerce.
Google’s Mobile First update
Since then we’d been fairly relaxed about it, knowing that with a mobile version or a responsive website we not only avoided a Google penalty but also gained mobile usability.
But Google updates itself day after day, at a pace of more than 500 algorithm changes a year.
Since November 2016, Google has been displaying search results differently and says that pages where content isn’t displayed optimally for users won’t appear in the top search results.
Let’s explain this in a bit more detail.
Until now, Google prioritized desktop versions for the results shown in its search engine.
But since November 2016, Google has been running tests in which it only runs its algorithm on mobile versions, whether the search is on mobile or desktop.
What to consider for Google’s Mobile First update
For a few months now, we’ve faced 3 scenarios with the new Google update:
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- If our website has a Mobile version, Google will consider the mobile version
- If our website is Responsive, Google will consider the responsive version
- If our website only has a Desktop version, Google will consider that version
Now our question is, how does this Google algorithm change affect my eCommerce?
In the first scenario mentioned above, Google will consider the mobile version of our website, for better or worse. This means that if we have text on the desktop version and remove it from the mobile version for usability or other reasons, it will now hurt us. The same goes for load speed, usability and all other factors.
In case 2, we depend on the responsive version of our eCommerce, which in most cases is the same as the desktop version but perfectly adapted to mobile. In this case we shouldn’t have any problems as long as we don’t hide text. It’s the best of the 3 options.
In the last case, we depend solely on the desktop version of our website, so we can’t compete for Google’s top search results and will even gradually lose positions. Again, no matter where people search for us from, even a computer.
Mobile First add-on: interstitial penalty.
In its quest for the cleanest possible use and the simplest possible navigation for users, Google has released a new update affecting mobile versions.
Pop-ups and interstitials that disrupt browsing and aren’t mandatory (such as cookie notices) will be penalized by the famous search engine.
When will Google fully roll out Mobile First?
When Google updates its search engine, it usually gives a few months’ notice that it’s gradually rolling out the change. In this case, it announced it in late November 2016 and, based on its usual timing, we think it will be fully applied within a few months, probably before summer.
How to deal with Google’s Mobile First?
The solution we recommend at TLG Commerce (Trilogi) is implementing a responsive version and removing all pop-ups from our eCommerce.
With these 2 improvements we ensure proper indexing on Google and stay free of penalties.
If you want to avoid a nasty surprise, tell us about your case and we’ll help you optimize your eCommerce to be Google-friendly.
