Every business owner has one very similar goal in mind when it comes to their website: rank higher on search engine result pages. So, you’ve probably made sure your website has all the things the good old Google machine is looking for. But Google has introduced a new update that might throw your WordPress website for a loop. Introducing: Google’s mobile-first update. What does the update mean? And how will it affect your WordPress website? Well, that’s what we’re covering today.

Google’s Mobile-first update

While mobile-friendliness has been an important factor in SEO for some time now, Google is about to take things to the next level. With Google’s mobile-first update, your mobile website will be even more important. If you’re unprepared, this update can have a negative effect on your site. So be sure to catch our blog post next week to find out how to prepare for this update.

This new update called Google’s Mobile-first index, rings true to its name. It’s no secret that more searches are done via mobile devices now more than ever. So, the major search engine is now going to prioritize your website’s mobile version on its results pages. Basically, if your WordPress website doesn’t offer a killer mobile experience, your SEO efforts will take a pretty major hit.

How will this update affect your WordPress website?

If you’re sporting a desktop-only website, Google will still rank and index your website, but you will likely experience a pretty major hit in the search engine results pages.

For those of you with desktop and mobile versions, your mobile version will now take precedence. So, you’ll want to make sure to work on its SEO.

If you have a responsive website, you should be in the clear since your site is already optimized to provide a great mobile experience.

Have AMP pages or non-AMP pages? Google will prioritize the non-AMP mobile version of your site.

If you’re already using a modern theme for your WordPress site, you’re likely a-ok. Most popular WordPress themes are responsive and already provide equally stellar mobile and desktop experiences. But if you’re using an outdated theme or one that isn’t responsive, get in touch. It’s likely time to consider a full redesign, and we can help you out with that!