Google’s new mobile index is changing the way SEO is used, and that is making the concept of mobile SEO much more important than it was in the past. In the upcoming months, the company is going to be dividing the index it uses, and that will push more fresh, new content toward users of mobile devices. Right now there is just one single index that Google uses for mobile users and others who access the internet, but when that changes the mobile index will become primary and the current index will become secondary. That means what goes into SEO for the mobile index will need to be more important and relevant than other index information or SEO creation.
 

The Reasoning Behind the Mobile Index

With so many people using smartphones today, it’s like vast numbers of people carrying around mini computers all the time. They use these phones to do much more than make calls or send texts, and when they have the entire internet literally at their fingertips it can be game-changing for people who want to be found online. But how can those people make sure they get found? Well, SEO is the most common way. The search engine terms that are used to find someone on a desktop or laptop device are important, but that desktop index won’t be as up to date as the mobile one once it has been created. Mobile will be the way to go, moving forward, simply because more and more people are using mobile devices to find what they need online.
 

The Need for Mobile-Friendly Content

Not all websites support mobile devices. When you’re using a mobile device and you end up on a non-supported site, it’s easy to tell. The formatting can be cumbersome and difficult, and the site doesn’t flow properly in order to really look around and get what you need from the experience. With that in mind, making sure that your site is formatted the right way and set up for mobile devices matters. It’s one of the most important things you can do to move toward being ready for the influx of customers that good mobile SEO can bring to your doorstep. But the SEO has to be done properly, as well.
 

A Pure Mobile Index for Ranking

Right now, the desktop version of Google is used when determining mobile SEO needs and usage. In other words, the data that comes from desktop searches is extracted and analyzed in order to determine how sites should rank on a mobile device. When that changes there will most likely be a pure mobile index for ranking, and that means that desktop ranking SEO and mobile ranking SEO may need to be very different. What works for one side of the equation may not work for the other side, and that could lead to a lot of companies missing the mark when it comes to their mobile SEO practices.
 

What About All the Details?

The problem with details, is that right now there aren’t any. Or at least their aren’t any that Google will freely give out. They say to stay tuned, and that the change will probably happen within months, but that’s actually pretty vague. How many months? What, exactly, will the changes entail? There are so many questions when it comes to mobile SEO and how the rankings will change, but there are few answers to be had right now. The one thing to take away from Google’s announcement is that changes are coming, and they will be related to what mobile users need.
 

Being Prepared for the Changes

Getting ready for the changes is hard to do when you’re not completely sure what those changes will be, but making sure your site is optimized for mobile would be a good start. Get your site ready, check it out on several different phones and browsers, and make sure you look at more than just the homepage. Everything should be optimized, and everything should work as intended. Then be well aware of the keywords you need and want to use to get found, and ensure they are on all your mobile-optimized pages. That way when the change takes place you won’t be scrambling to find what you need to make changes to your site. Those changes will already be done and you’ll have a better chance of seeing a good Google rank on mobile devices.