Currently Google is really busy! In addition to the June 2019 Core Update, which is currently being played, website operators are facing another major change: mobile first indexing will start in July 2019 – in the first step for all new domains. If Google encounters a domain that is previously unknown, a mobile first indexing with the smartphone Googlebot is automatically triggered. This means that the indexed content will be the same for visitors in the mobile view as well as on the desktop. At least that’s what John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, reports.

Anyone looking to launch a new website should keep this point in mind, and preferably check in advance in Search Console via the URL Check Tool to see if the page is ready for indexing. Incidentally, older websites are also informed in Search Console, but this is not the case with new ones. But how does Google assess whether a website is ready for Mobile first? In particular, it checks whether content such as texts, images, videos, links, etc. are the same, metadata can be determined and Structured Data is available. If all this is given, there should be little problems. Google also points out that webmasters should no longer create different pages for the mobile view or the desktop, but responsive pages that use only one URL.

Where we already mentioned the structured data … They are playing a really big role in SEO and so the tool for testing rich media has been further optimized. Webmasters will not only be able to use Googlebot Desktop in the future, but also Googlebot Smartphone as user agent. This makes it easier to prepare for Mobile First Indexing as well. However, the feature is still in beta, so not all rich search results or error types are supported. But it is at least a start and already gives a first overview of what may need improvements on.