Page Experience Matters: The Mobile-Friendly Site

It’s no secret that the majority of Google’s search engine users are mobile users. That fact is the driving force behind Google’s focus on making sure websites like yours serve them well. And if you don’t comply? Your search engine rankings suffer.

That’s why this article (No. 2 in our page experience series) will discuss mobile-friendliness as a way to help your webpages earn a ranking boost from Google’s page experience ranking update, which went live in mid-2021. (Be sure to see all our other articles in this series at the end of this one).

• What is a mobile-friendly website? 
• Why does a mobile-friendly website matter? 
• How do you make a site mobile-friendly? 
• FAQ: How can I create a mobile-friendly website to improve user experience and search engine rankings?

What Is a Mobile-Friendly Website?

A mobile-friendly website creates a good experience for people who visit a website from a smartphone or tablet.

There’s a lot that goes into having a mobile-friendly website. Some of the factors include:

• Using mobile-compatible plugins
• Ensuring the webpage fits different screen sizes
• Configuring the size of the text for mobile viewing
• Making sure that it’s easy for mobile users to click on buttons and links
• Having fast-loading webpages (Although this is not talked about much in Google’s mobile-friendly guide, it counts toward the page experience ranking signals and is a best practice for mobile anyway.)

Why Does a Mobile-Friendly Website Matter?

A mobile-friendly website also matters to your search engine rankings because Google wants to include websites in its search results that offer a good experience to mobile users.

After all, about 63 percent of visits to Google’s search engine on average in 2019 were from mobile users.

You can confirm how many mobile users are coming to your own site through your Google Analytics account. (Go to: Audience > Mobile > Overview)

Recognizing the growing trend in mobile web browsing, in 2016, Google started testing a mobile-first index. In March 2020, Google announced it would be “switching to mobile-first indexing for all websites starting September 2020” but then pushed the full rollout back to the end of March 2021.

Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. Historically, the index primarily used the desktop version of a page’s content when evaluating the relevance of a page to a user’s query. Since the majority of users now access Google Search with a mobile device, Googlebot primarily crawls and indexes pages with the smartphone agent going forward.

–Google, “Mobile-first indexing best practices”

When Google announced the upcoming page experience ranking update, it affirmed that the existing mobile friendliness signal would be a part of it. This is another confirmation that having a website set up for mobile users is key if you want to compete in Google’s search results.

How Do You Make a Site Mobile-Friendly?

You can make a website mobile-friendly by following best practices outlined by Google and a seasoned SEO expert. One size does not fit all when it comes to a mobile strategy.

If you’re ready to make your site more friendly to mobile users, you need to follow four basic steps:

1. Test your current site.
2. Learn about mobile-friendly best practices.
3. Implement changes.
4. Watch for common mistakes.

1. Test Your Current Site

One of the first things Google recommends is to run pages through its mobile-friendly test. You can also use the mobile usability report in Search Console.

Depending on what stage you’re at in your mobile journey, the next steps will vary. The goal is to address the main issues uncovered in the testing phase.

2. Learn About Mobile-Friendly Best Practices

Addressing the issues will require learning more about mobile-friendly best practices. You can do so by reviewing Google’s guide here and our guide on mobile SEO and UX optimization as well for more information.

Again, an experienced SEO professional can help you make good choices here.

3. Implement Changes

Of course, implementing mobile-friendly updates is the next step.

Website Configurations

One big decision you may be facing is what type of website configuration you should have to support mobile users.

Google supports three types of mobile website configurations: responsive web design, dynamic serving and separate mobile URLs. (Check out this cheat sheet on mobile design.)

In general, a responsive website is going to be the easiest to create and maintain. A responsive website uses the same URL and HTML code no matter what device the visitor has (versus a separate mobile site). But it serves up the content in a slightly different format depending on the screen size — so it’s friendly for mobile users.

Be sure to check out these seven mobile navigation best practices for more.

Website Content

Remember that a responsive website does not automatically mean a mobile-friendly website. How you serve the content is one thing. But what you actually prioritize in the content is another.

You see, people using mobile phones tend to search differently than those on a desktop. User intent is different, and that means that the information you want to serve may be different.

You can learn more about this concept in my article on understanding Google’s mobile-first index. And read the mobile SEO checklist for ideas on mobile content and more.

Website Speed

Mobile friendliness and fast webpage loading go hand in hand.

Mobile users do not want to wait around for content to load. Google once found that 53% of mobile site visits were abandoned when webpages took more than three seconds to load.

You can test page speed on your key pages through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

You can also view data in your Google Analytics on site speed (go to: Behavior > Site Speed). And the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console is going to give data on load times, as well.

Read more about the need for speed in Google’s mobile-first index.

4. Watch for Common Mistakes

One pitfall to avoid is sacrificing necessary content for the sake of speed. Reducing content to improve page speed could impact rankings in a mobile-first world as I’ve written about in the past:

What is currently being served as your mobile site is what Google would consider for indexing and ranking in its mobile-first index. If the mobile version of your site only displays a portion of all available content, then Google will only consider that part in its ranking calculations (and not any additional resources available in the desktop version of a site).

If a site has a responsive design configuration, as Google recommends, everything on both the desktop version and the mobile version should be accounted for by Google, right?

Not exactly. In responsive design, you tell the site not to display blocks of text or certain images in a mobile device.

Traditionally, Google would index the desktop version of your site. Whatever the desktop image was, that’s what Google would index and use to rank. Then, when a person loaded that page on a mobile device, at that point, you could control what was displayed. However, the index was based on the full desktop version of the content. Responsive design just decided what was displayed or not for a mobile or tablet device.

Now Google is moving to a mobile-first index. Whereas the desktop version of the site used to matter most for search engine optimization, now it’s the mobile UX that counts. If the mobile version of your site is not displaying certain content or images, Google will no longer consider them in ranking and indexing.

For example, on your desktop site in your footer, you might have 50 links. But in the mobile version, you don’t want to clutter it up so you only display 10. When Googlebot crawls your page, it’s not going to count 50 links, it’ll only consider the 10.

Because there are so many variables when creating a mobile-friendly site, it’s important to have an expert SEO working with your developers to make important decisions about mobile configuration.

For more details on the update, read our entire page experience series:

1. What’s the Page Experience Update?
2. How to Make a Mobile-Friendly Site
3. Intrusive Interstitials & Why They’re Bad for SEO
4. HTTPS for Users and Ranking
5. Core Web Vitals Overview
6. Core Web Vitals: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
7. Core Web Vitals: FID (First Input Delay)
8. Core Web Vitals: CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

If you’d like to talk to us about your SEO needs, contact us today for a consultation.

FAQ: How can I create a mobile-friendly website to improve user experience and search engine rankings?

As it becomes increasingly important for businesses and websites to remain accessible across all devices, mobile-friendly sites become even more essential in serving a growing mobile user population and improving search engine rankings. This article discusses how you can create an appealing mobile-friendly website that appeals to both users and search engine algorithms alike.

To begin, consider responsive web design as your foundation. Responsive design enables your website to adapt automatically to different screen sizes, providing users with an uninterrupted user experience across devices and reducing maintenance burden by eliminating your site’s separate desktop and mobile versions.

Next, prioritize content optimization for mobile users. Understand that mobile search behavior differs from desktop searches. Craft concise and engaging content that addresses user intent quickly. Prioritize crucial information, enhancing readability and engagement.

Website speed is critical to user satisfaction and search engine rankings. Mobile users demand swift loading times, and Google rewards fast-loading pages. Regularly assess and optimize your website’s speed using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

Additionally, mobile-friendliness extends to navigation. Simplify menus and ensure buttons are easily clickable on smaller screens. Optimize images for mobile consumption to minimize load times without compromising quality.

Lastly, leverage Google’s mobile-friendly test and mobile usability report in Search Console to identify and rectify any issues. Regularly monitor mobile performance metrics to stay proactive in improving the user experience.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Create a Mobile-Friendly Website

1. Choose a responsive web design framework.
2. Optimize your website’s content for mobile users’ needs and preferences.
3. Craft concise and engaging headlines and content.
4. Prioritize essential information to capture user attention quickly.
5. Implement a mobile-first approach to design and user experience.
6. Simplify navigation menus for easier mobile browsing.
7. Ensure buttons and links are easily clickable on smaller screens.
8. Optimize images for mobile devices to reduce load times.
9. Evaluate website speed using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
10. Implement speed optimization techniques, including browser caching and image compression.
11. Leverage mobile usability reports in Google Search Console to identify issues.
12. Test your website using Google’s mobile-friendly test tool.
13. Regularly monitor mobile performance metrics, including load times and bounce rates.
14. Address any issues identified through testing and monitoring.
15. Continuously update and refine your mobile-friendly strategy based on user feedback and industry trends.
16. Stay informed about Google’s algorithm updates and mobile-friendliness guidelines.
17. Collaborate with experienced SEO professionals to ensure optimal results.
18. Consider user behavior and intent when crafting mobile content.
19. Regularly assess and improve website speed to maintain a competitive edge.
20. Prioritize user experience in all mobile website design and optimization aspects.

Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing firm providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, SEO-friendly web architecture, and SEO tools and education. Connect with him on LinkedIn or through the BruceClay.com website.

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