Google’s shift toward mobile-first search results may be about to take a bigger step. According to Search Engine Land, the company is building a separate mobile index that will become the primary one for rankings.
Talk of a mobile-specific index goes back about a year, when Google’s Gary Illyes said at SMX that the company was developing a mobile version of its search index. At Pubcon he shared a fresher update: the mobile index could launch within the next few months.
Once it ships, Google will prefer the mobile index for results. A separate desktop index will keep running for a while but will not stay as current as the mobile one.
For site owners, the message is familiar and sharper: make sure mobile content, speed, and structured data are first-class, because that is what Google intends to trust first.
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