In March 2018, Google made a change that could have a major impact on websites and how sites will rank on search engines. Google has begun “mobile-first indexing,” which means it now indexes the mobile version of a site rather than the desktop version of a website as it has done historically.  

What does this mean for your website?

Does your dealership prioritize content for the desktop version of your website?  If you do, your site may lose visibility in search results once Google indexes the mobile version of your site.

If you’re not sure what this means for your website, ask yourself: does the site content a shopper sees on their desktop screen match the content they see on their mobile phone?  If your website has a true responsive design you’re set to benefit from Google’s shift to mobile-first as your content is the same.

Here’s a simple test to check if your site will remain visible in the Google mobile-first web.

• Do a side-by-side comparison of your website on a mobile phone and a desktop computer
• View your homepage and other key pages, e.g. landing pages, promotional content, search results page, etc. 
• Does the content on your mobile site match the content on your desktop site? 

If your site content doesn’t match, your website provider is likely not offering you a true responsive web experience — the Google recommended design platform.

Based on Google’s recommendations, here are three ways to help your site benefit from the shift to mobile-first web:

1. Responsive over adaptive/agile

Websites built on a true responsive platform use a single version of content that scales in size to fit all screens: mobile, desktop, tablet, etc. A dealer with all their site content included in their mobile version will potentially be rewarded with a boost in Google search rankings.

In the mobile-first web, websites that are adaptive, seamless or agile could result in the dealer’s desktop content not being visible on a mobile phone, which puts the dealer at risk to not rank in search after Google indexes the dealer’s mobile site.

2. Use structured data categories

Structured data is a format that can help search engines understand the contents of a page/website.   Google also uses structured data to generate snippets to use in a shopper’s search results. Using different structured data categories such as vehicles, business information, hours and reviews, etc. can help a site rank higher in Google search results.

3. Optimize the hero for mobile-first

The hero is a dealer’s marquee for attracting a shopper’s attention and clicks.  However, some dealers impede their site’s performance and speed by using large PNG files for the hero. To ensure a site continues to perform well and shoppers enjoy fast page load speeds, your hero image should be a jpeg file that’s less than 120kbs in size and can easily fit key screen sizes.

The Google updates aren’t arbitrary; they reflect a shift in consumer shopping behavior that has been growing for years. In prioritizing mobile websites over desktop, Google is legitimizing this shift in consumer behavior.

If you’re unsure your website will take advantage of Google’s new updates, reach out to me.  Our CDK team will help you optimize your site so you can benefit from the move to the mobile-first web.