The experimental mobile first index program rolled out by Google has now started to radically change how websites are ranked. It gives more preference to websites having content optimized for mobile, in turn, giving them better rankings.
Mobile devices have been increasingly used for accessing the web today, and this made it more important to have sites optimized for the same. As the mobile first index will give priority to sites having both desktop and mobile versions, this has prompted webmasters to come up with scalable versions of their web pages to offer a friendlier user interface. A few ways to optimize for Google’s mobile first index are listed below.
Opting for a Mobile Friendly Design
Optimizing the page for smooth viewing in a mobile interface is a vital requirement to get better chances of recognition by the mobile first index algorithm. In Search Engine Optimization, the design has become a key element that helps in improving the appeal and navigational efficiency of a site. These design elements form a key part of ranking in the search results, especially when mobile viewing is given priority.
One way of using a mobile design is to avoid using Flash and relying on HTML5 or Java instead for supporting the interactive elements in the site. Besides, as most users access the web via their smartphones, it is important to have a design and layout that focuses on giving an easy navigational experience. For instance, opting for a simple interface that enables the user to easily touch and tap can improve the experience and subsequently the rankings.
Faster Loading Speeds
Loading speed is a key priority when it comes to user interests, as they increasingly prefer sites that load faster. Getting better ranking on mobile involves increasing the loading speeds of the site. The most important thing to speed up the site is to begin with optimizing the images.
This can quickly load the images when the user enters the site. Using browser caching can improve the page loading speed, as it stores the important resources of the web page on the user’s computer. In addition, minimizing the redirects of the site can also make the site load faster.
Priority for On-Page and Local Optimization
The limitations of mobile search engine results pages make it necessary to give proper titles and descriptions to each of the web pages. This is very crucial, as it will help in optimizing the page for better rankings and for an improved user experience. Moreover, the recent updates by Google also give more priority to local search optimization.
Utilizing the local search techniques like placing the city and state name in the title tag, H1 heading, URL, alt tags, Meta description, as well as within the content can help to drive more traffic and increase the site rankings.