It’s official. Google’s mobile-first index has been unveiled and you’ve probably received a notification from Google Search Console that some of your websites are officially being enrolled in the index.
This mobile first index will take precedence over the traditional desktop index Google has been using before and will serve the most appropriate results based on the device being searched on.
Because of this, webmasters are incentivized to implement a fully responsive design that is personalized for users on any device.
Google has tried making this transition easier for webmasters by creating is open source initiative that leverages stripped down HTML files to create fast and mobile-friendly copies of webpages. These types of pages are referred to as Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). They are distinguished by a lightning bolt symbol in mobile search results.
If you consider these factors, it’s obvious that choosing to adopt AMP is a good idea:
- Webpage speed is a ranking factor of Google’s mobile and desktop indexes
- A 1-second delay in web page speed can decrease conversions by as much as 7 percent (Kissmetrics)
- AMP is rumored to be a ranking factor in their mobile first index (AMP was created by Google)
But there are still some folks who are skeptical when it comes to adopting AMP on their websites. Despite the fact that AMP has been officially unveiled, the AMP project still isn’t fully developed and continues addressing concerns from webmasters who have had trouble correctly implementing AMP into their website.
Kristopher Jones provides an update on where the AMP project stands today and whether it’s worth adopting for your own website.
[Read the full post here on Search Engine Land]