When launching a website and implementing internal strategies, one of the first steps for SEO beginners is to address mobile-friendliness. Mobile-friendly involves optimization preparing layouts and designs tailored for mobile devices.

By optimizing for mobile, your website or page will display in a way that is easy to view on mobile devices when accessed. Additionally, Google’s search engine will recognize that your site is mobile-friendly, leading to positive impacts on SEO .

In this article, we’ll explain mobile-friendly strategies as part of the top SEO strategies for ultra-beginner SEO 6. If you’re completely new to SEO, we recommend reading ‘SEO Basics: What is SEO? From Basics to Strategies ‘ before diving into this page.

SEO Internal Measures Checklist

Title Character Count Meta Description Tag Heading (H Tag) Setup

Placement of HTML Tags Optimization of Internal Links Optimization of Directory Structure

Implementation of Breadcrumb Navigation What is Alt Attribute? Indexing Measures

Implementation of Structured Data SSL Encryption (HTTPS) Setting up Canonical Tags

What is a Sitemap? Setting up robots.txt File URL Normalization

Improving Page Load Speed ​​Handling URLs with and without ‘www’ Promoting Core Web Vitals

Improving UI and UX Speeding up Server Processing Responsive Web Design

What is Mobile-Friendly?

Mobile-friendly refers to the algorithm implemented by the Google search engine to evaluate websites that are optimized for mobile devices. When a website is made mobile-friendly, it ensures comfortable browsing from both desktop and mobile devices.

About Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are gadgets suitable for use while moving. This includes commonly known devices like laptops. However, in terms of mobile-friendliness, the aim is to make websites accessible on small-screen devices other than computers. Hence, mobile-friendly mainly refers to to the following;

-Smartphones

-Tablets

Additionally, there are past-generation portable devices like Feature Phones and Personal Handy Phone Systems (PHS). However, the discontinuation of carrier-provided services for Feature Phones is ongoing, leading to a gradual decline in practical usage over the years.

Smartphone

A smartphone, also known as a smart phone or simply ‘smartphone,’ refers to a mobile phone equipped with a mobile operating system (OS). Various types of OS are installed on smartphones, including:

-iOS

-Android

-Windows

Smartphones typically have very small screen sizes for displaying websites. Therefore, to ensure comfortable browsing on smartphones, special layouts and designs need to be prepared.

Tablet

A tablet is a device with a touch panel on one side. Essentially, it runs on similar OS as smartphones and possesses similar functions. However, compared to smartphones, tablets have larger screen sizes. Yet, compared to computers, they have smaller screens, requiring separate layouts and designs.

The Importance of Mobile-Friendliness

The emphasis on mobile-friendliness stems from the following historical factors;

-Increased Site Access via Mobile Devices

-Implementation of Mobile-Friendly Features

-Introduction of Mobile-First Indexing

Increase in Access via Mobile Devices

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ survey on communication usage trends in 2015 , household ownership rates of smartphones and tablet devices rose from around 10% in 2010 to 72.0% for smartphones and 33.3% for tablets in 2015. Consequently, the proportion of mobile devices for internet usage also increased.

Given this historical context, the demand for website readability on mobile devices grew. As a result, website management began incorporating designs and layouts tailored for mobile devices, recognizing the significance of access from such devices.

Furthermore, the results of the recent surveys by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the Reiwa 3-Year Communication Usage Trends Survey indicate that in the age group of 20 to 49, over 90% of internet usage occurs via mobile devices. In the current landscape of 2023, catering to such site visitors with user-friendly designs and layouts enhances usability and user experience.

The Implementation of Mobile-Friendly Features

In April 21, 2015, Google, recognizing the importance of mobile devices, implemented an update known as Mobile-Friendly Algorithm.

As explicitly stated in the Google Webmaster Central blog (formerly known as Google Webmaster), the update aimed to ‘boost the ranking of pages that are easy to read on mobile devices,’ thereby indicating that mobile-friendliness influences search rankings. examined, optimizing websites for mobile compatibility becomes necessary as part of SEO strategies.

The Emergence of Mobile-First Indexing

During the Mobile-Friendly update, Google also introduced the concept of Mobile-First Indexing (MFI).

Mobile-First Indexing prioritizes the evaluation and indexing of sites compatible with smartphones and tablets. In essence, it aims to accelerate the indexing process for search results on Google by emphasizing mobile-friendliness.

Between 2015 and the current year of 2023, the usage of mobile devices for accessing the internet has exponentially increased. Therefore, the concept of Mobile-First Indexing continues to be emphasized, reflecting the ongoing importance of mobile devices in accessing online content.

Methods to Verify Mobile-Friendliness

There are several methods to check if a website is mobile-friendly:

-Utilize the Mobile-Friendly Test

-Use Google Search Console

Utilize the Mobile-Friendly Test

The Mobile-Friendly Test is a tool provided by Google to check if a website is mobile-friendly. You can use it without logging in to your Google account, allowing you to check external sites as well.

How to Use the Mobile-Friendly Test

First, navigate to the Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Then, enter the URL of the website you want to check and click ‘Test URL.’

After about 1-2 minutes, the results will be displayed.

Mobile-Friendly Test Checklist

The test results of this tool include the following checklist items:

-Whether using technologies supported by mobile browsers

-If the page width adjusts to screen size

-Ensuring text size is not too small

-Checking that link elements are not too close together

If the results are unsatisfactory, it will require corrective action for each element.

Using Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a tool provided by Google that allows for website traffic analysis.

By utilizing the Mobile Usability feature of Google Search Console, you can check if your pages are mobile-friendly. This check covers all indexed pages within your website. Therefore, it is used when you want to check all pages within your website at once.

However, if your website is not registered with Google Search Console, you won’t be able to use the Mobile Usability feature. If you haven’t registered yet, please register your website with Google Search Console first.

What is Google Search Console?

How to Use Mobile Usability

If your website is registered with Google Search Console and you have indexed pages on the Google search engine, there is no special setup required to use Mobile Usability.

First, access Google Search Console and log in .

Select Mobile Usability from the menu in Google Search Console.

You can then check the number of indexed pages and the number of mobile-friendly pages.

Using PageSpeed ​​Insights

PageSpeed ​​Insights is a tool provided by Google for website analyzing loading speeds. While its primary function is to check page loading speeds and performance, you can also use it to verify mobile compatibility. Additionally, you can use it without logging into a Google account, making it suitable for obtaining more detailed information than the Mobile-Friendly Test.

What is PageSpeed ​​Insights?”

Using PageSpeed ​​Insights is similar to Mobile-Friendly Test. You just need to input the URL, and the results will be displayed.

Here is PageSpeed ​​Insights.

How to Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

If your website is not mobile-friendly, you will need to make some adjustments. The main methods for making your website mobile-friendly are:

-Responsive Web Design (RWD)

-Dynamic Serving

-Separate

Of these, Google recommends the adoption of Responsive Web Design.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a mechanism that adjusts the layout and design of a webpage to fit the screen size of the device used by site visitors. With RWD, there’s no need to prepare separate URLs or HTML files for mobile devices, as only one URL and HTML file are required.

What is Responsive Web Design?

Benefits of adopting Responsive Web Design

Benefits of adopting Responsive Web Design include:

-Elimination of the need for separate URLs for mobile devices

-Elimination of the need for separate HTML files for mobile devices

-Faster page loading speed

When separate URLs or HTML files are issued for mobile devices, it can lead to complex internal linking and require tasks like URL normalization to consolidate URLs. By reducing unnecessary URLs, site structure becomes simpler. This simplicity not only enhances evaluation by Google’s search engine but also simplifies file and URL management. Additionally, by centralizing URLs and HTML files, unnecessary redirects are avoided during access, resulting in faster page loading speeds.

What is Dynamic Serving?

Dynamic Serving is a mechanism that adjusts the HTML files called based on the visitor’s device to display the page. With Dynamic Serving, only one URL is prepared, but two HTML files are required.

What Is Separate?

Separate is a method where pages are allocated and displayed separately depending on the visitor’s device. In Separate type, separate URLs and HTML for desktop and mobile devices are required.

The Relationship between AMP and Mobile-Friendly

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) refers to Google search engine technology designed to speed up page loading on mobile devices.

What is AMP?

AMP Mechanism

In this mechanism, Google caches AMP-enabled and indexed web pages on its servers. What gets stored during this process are simplified HTML files tailored for AMP. When a search user accesses an AMP page from the search engine, the server retrieves the cached content, allowing for rapid page loading.

AMP as a Mobile-First Indexing Technology

Initially developed by Google as part of its Mobile-First Indexing initiative, AMP received certain benefits upon its announcement in 2015:

-Addition of an AMP badge icon in search results

-Integration of AMP carousels in search results

However, website operators faced certain risks when adopting AMP technology, such as;

-Original articles not being displayed

-Potential decrease in ad revenue

-Restrictions on page design and functionality

-Increased operational complexity due to the need for AMP-specific HTML files

Due to these factors, many websites chose not to adopt AMP, despite its benefits.

Future of AMP Integration

As of 2023, the preferential treatment for AMP pages has ended, leading some site owners to question whether they should continue AMP integration. However, AMP technology aligns with the Mobile-First Indexing concept, and there are developments like the introduction of a new tool called Bento AMP. Additionally, AMP offers clear advantages in displaying mobile pages quickly. Essentially, the current suitability of AMP varies depending on the website, so consider compatibility when deciding whether to continue AMP integration.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mobile-Friendly (FAQ)

Here we have compiled some frequently asked questions about Mobile-Friendly

Q: Is mobile responsiveness essential?

A: Generally, yes.

As of 2023, there has been a significant increase in internet users accessing the web via mobile devices. Therefore, creating websites with mobile device access in mind is essential. However, in specific cases where the target audience is limited to desktop users and there is no need for traffic from Google search engine, the necessity for mobile responsiveness may vary.

Q: What is the difference between Mobile-Friendly and Mobile-First Indexing?

A: They have different implications.

Mobile-Friendly refers to an algorithm that Google’s search engine uses to determine rankings. On the other hand, Mobile-First Indexing is a policy of prioritizing crawling and indexing.

Q: What is a Mobile-Friendly Update?

A: It refers to updating Google’s search engine algorithm to incorporate the concept of mobile-friendliness.

Summary

As the prevalence of mobile devices continues to rise, the concept of ‘accessibility via mobile’ has become increasingly important, giving rise to the concept of Mobile-Friendly. To incorporate mobile-friendliness, it’s necessary to make websites easily accessible on mobile devices. Implementing Responsive Web Design is recommended by Google as a method to achieve this. If you’re planning to mobile-optimize your website or pages in the future, consider adopting Responsive Web Design.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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