The Google Mobile-Friendly algorithm was introduced in 2015. It is designed to improve search rankings on mobile devices. Its essence is to check the site for compliance with certain criteria, ensuring the comfort of viewing content on smartphones and tablets. Resources that successfully passed such a test were given the opportunity to occupy higher positions, displacing those who failed to do so.

Google Mobile-Friendly does not play a key role in ranking. It can only slightly improve the current position. The most significant remain the criteria that were used by search engines earlier.

The reason for the appearance of the algorithm is the constant increase in the percentage of search queries from mobile devices. In many countries it is higher than that of desktops. Therefore, the company, whose goal is to provide a comfortable environment for the user, is constantly working in the direction of mobile search.

What does Google Mobile-Friendly pay attention to?

Googlebot checks the page for the following criteria:

  • Availability of flash. Most mobile browsers do not support this technology. Therefore, the functionality implemented with its help is not available to smartphone owners;
  • Viewport adaptability. Not adjusting the width and ratio of content for different screen sizes has a negative impact on the viewing experience of content. There are several options for implementing this task. The choice depends on the capabilities and goals of the resource;
  • Horizontal scrolling. Negative factor. It is inconvenient to use on mobile devices. Scrolling to the side worsens the comfort of content perception;
  • Arrangement of interactive elements. If links, buttons, switches, and checkboxes are small or too close together, they will be difficult for touchscreen users to press;
  • Font size. The minimum acceptable setting for mobile devices is 12px. If a non-responsive page is displayed entirely on the screen, the user will have to manually enlarge the content. This will become a negative experience.

The Google Mobile-Friendly test will help you check whether your resource meets the requirements of the algorithm. The program will quickly check the site. At the end of the procedure, a decision can be made regarding the implementation of the changes.

Who needs a mobile version of the site

Google Mobile-Friendly does not affect desktop search results. If the main traffic to the site does not come from mobile devices, it is not necessary to solve this problem. The costs will not pay for themselves in the near future.

Each site owner must decide whether to make the resource friendly to searches from smartphones. If it doesn't have a responsive design from the start, the costs can be significant.

How to achieve the “mobile friendly” mark

There are 3 ways to make a resource adapted for mobile devices:

  • Adaptive layout. Writing more code and using @media. When the page loads, the screen size is determined. After this, the individual CSS parameters (page width, font size, image placement) are set to appropriate values. In the most difficult cases, JS is used. Implementing adaptive layout requires a significant amount of time. But a systematic, methodical approach makes it possible to quickly create new pages to fill the site. Loading takes longer;

  • Dynamic display. Page parameters are generated on the server side, which loads code suitable for the device resolution. The download speed is higher, but the load on the server is greater. Additional work will be required on the back-end side;
  • Mobile version on a subdomain. A website adapted for smartphones is hosted on a subdomain (entirely or individual pages). Responsive layout or dynamic display will be required. In fact, a new website is being created, which will affect the cost of implementation.

To improve your rankings with Google Mobile-Friendly at a minimal cost, you can make individual pages, where most of your traffic comes from smartphones, mobile-friendly.