For a long time, many within the SEO industry operated under the assumption that optimizing a website for mobile devices would have a positive effect on its search rankings.
However, a recent clarification from Google indicates that while mobile-friendliness is still advisable, its impact on search rankings is not as straightforward as previously believed.
Google has emphasized that no single “page experience” ranking factor, such as mobile-friendliness, is solely responsible for determining search rankings. While factors like site speed and Core Web Vitals do play a role in achieving success in search results, the most critical factors continue to be relevance and user intent.
This article dug into the history of Google’s “mobile-friendly” updates, reevaluates past assertions regarding mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, and provides an objective analysis of its current significance based on Google’s latest guidance.
The Past Assertions Regarding Mobile-Friendliness
Historically, numerous experts held the belief that websites optimized for mobile devices held a distinct advantage in search rankings when compared to desktop-only sites.
This belief stemmed from Google’s mobile-friendly update in 2015, which aimed to elevate the visibility of such pages in search results. The underlying principle was to offer users the optimal experience, given the increasing number of searches conducted on mobile devices.
Google further embraced mobile-first indexing, relying solely on the mobile version of web pages for crawling and determining rankings.
As a result, mobile-friendliness was firmly established as a ranking factor. Nevertheless, recent clarifications from Google have prompted us to reevaluate this long-standing assessment.
Google’s Mobile-Friendliness Updated Guidance
Google explicitly states that no single “page experience” ranking factor, such as mobile-friendliness, singularly determines rankings.
Rather, Google’s algorithm employs ranking “systems” that consider a variety of signals.
Google’s reduced emphasis on mobile-friendliness as a ranking system became apparent when it removed references to page experience and mobile-friendliness from its list of confirmed ranking systems.
Nonetheless, these technical elements continue to be integral to Google’s ranking algorithms. This shift is primarily one of terminology and organization, aiming to provide clarity on how these signals are used to gauge a positive page experience for users.
This is evident in Google’s emphasis on the importance of content displaying effectively on mobile devices within its criteria for self-assessing page experience.
Furthermore, Google’s Search Liaison emphasized the importance of taking into account various aspects of page experience, including mobile-friendliness, when optimizing websites for search.
“It does not say page experience is somehow “retired” or that people should ignore things like Core Web Vitals or being mobile-friendly.
The opposite. It says if you want to be successful with the core ranking systems of Google Search, consider these and other aspects of page experience.”
Although mobile-friendliness does correlate with search success, it’s just one component of a more comprehensive system and may not have a significant impact on its own.
Google encourages businesses and Enterprise SEO experts to prioritize the significance and substance of web pages, going beyond considerations of format and layout.
This perspective was affirmed by Google Search Advocate John Mueller when discussing the removal of the page experience ranking signal:
“We’ve seen people hyper-focus on these numbers, that’s not a good use of time & energy. Think holistically instead.”
Ranking Systems Vs. Signals
In clarifying the distinction between ranking systems and signals, Google’s Search Liaison articulates:
“Ranking systems are different than ranking signals (systems typically make use of signals). We had some things listed on that page relating to page experience as “systems” that were actually signals.
They shouldn’t have been on the page about systems. Taking them off didn’t mean we no longer consider aspects of page experience. It just meant these weren’t ranking systems but instead signals used by other systems.”
Mobile-Friendliness Is Still A Google Ranking Factor
While maintaining a mobile-optimized website is still advisable, it’s merely a component of a more comprehensive evaluation of page experience and not an independent system.
As Google’s algorithms progress, their ability to assess pages based on their meaning, value, and user experience improves. While not all elements of page experience are constantly factored in by algorithms, they all hold significance.
This implies that enhancing mobile usability alone isn’t a magic solution, but it’s still important to ensure that your website functions effectively on mobile devices.
The key is to concentrate on providing value through informative content and optimizing page experience, and favourable search results will naturally follow.
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