As announced back in March 2018 Google are beginning to rank websites in its search engines based on its mobile-first policy. The question for those in the construction industry: “is you construction website mobile-first ready?”
Google’s Mobile-First Policy
Google’s mobile first policy simply means that instead of ranking the desktop version of your website, it will now rank the mobile version. This doesn’t mean their are two different indexes, there is only one index and that will be based on the content that Google sees on the mobile version of your website.
The reason behind Google’s mobile-first policy is simple: More people are using there smartphones than they are Desktops and PCs as reported in 2017, and further reports in 2016 identifying that more people are viewing websites on smartphones than they were desktops.
What Does this Mean for Business’ in the Construction Industry?
If your website isn’t optimised for website viewing, act now. Otherwise your website will not be considered Search Engine Optimised (SEO) even if your desktop website is fully compliant. Failure to do so will lead to your construction website losing it’s ranking position in Googles search engines, leaving you vulnerable to your competitors.
Google state there is no need to panic and websites that are built on a platform like wordpress are likely to be mobile friendly anyway. If your website features a responsive design then your website will be mobile-first ready. If you don’t know it’s worth checking your mobile website first of all then contact your website developer if you still aren’t clear.
Don’t Panic But Get Mobile Ready
Google will inform construction website owners that their website will be moving to mobile-first indexing in the coming weeks and months via their search console . There is no need for construction websites owners to panic say Google, as the mobile process is simply a change in how they are gathering content, not how content is ranked. It is a natural progression for Google to gather more content from mobile website versions, as smartphone website viewing will continue to eclipse desktop views.
Construction websites that feature only desktop content will still be indexed, but it is encouraged that efforts are made to be mobile friendly. Current trends suggest mobile use will continue to grow at the expense of desktops, so make sure your construction is mobile-index ready.
Are you a construction website owner and are you concerned about your website ranking on Google as a result of their mobile-first indexing policy. Share your thoughts below or contact me directly for further advice.
