If you've seen the term "mobile first" when setting up your website, you know why: Google has been rolling out a mobile-first index since late 2017, and is gradually adding more websites. It'll take a while for this change to be fully implemented, but when it's, Google will prioritize mobile-friendly websites in search results. This means that websites that aren't optimized for mobile users will be at a disadvantage.
Why is Google sending out the smartphone Google bot and revising the way it ranks websites? It's because more than half of the world's online searches are now conducted on mobile devices. This means that most search engine users want to find websites that they can easily use on their phones and that have a clean design, simple navigation and easy-to-read text.
You can make your website mobile-friendly fairly easily, whether you build your site yourself and use a web hosting service or opt for an all-in-one site builder/host. If you're setting up your own site, a quick search of WordPress themes and templates will find hundreds of free and paid options for mobile-optimized designs. Want to use a drag-and-drop site builder instead? Look for one that has mobile-friendly tools built in.
Once your site is ready, how can you be sure it meets Google's mobile usability standard? Enter your URL on Google's mobile-friendliness test page and wait a few seconds for the tools to scan and score your site. If Google now rates your site as mobile-friendly, you have the option of submitting it for inclusion in the new mobile-friendly index, although it may take some time for your site to be added.
Along with the test results, Google will also provide you with a mobile usability report for your site with suggestions on how to improve your site's mobile-friendliness. There's also a guide to getting started with mobile optimization that points to a basic step-by-step guide to making your WordPress website more mobile-friendly.
Once your mobile mojo is working, you can move on to another important element of search engine optimization: your website's reputation.
