Generational Shift: Google Search Algorithm Now Using Mobile-First Indexing For Over Half The Pages On Search Results

Almost half of the pages displayed in internet search results are based on algorithms that employ mobile-first indexing according to the search engine giant Google, reports The Tribune.

Mobile-first indexing was introduced two years ago by the internet-search giant as it found that an increasing number of people were searching on its platform using smartphones. The trend marked a critical shift in its indexing as Google's ranking systems were earlier based on the desktop version of a page's content.

With the increased usage and popularity of smartphones and handheld mobile devices to search Google, the company announced that its algorithms would eventually primarily use the mobile version of a site's content to rank pages from that site.

"In general, we move sites to mobile-first indexing when our tests assure us that they're ready," John Mueller of Google Switzerland wrote in a blog post on Wednesday (19 December).

"When we move sites over, we notify the site owner through a message in Search Console," Mueller added.

Google has reportedly said that it was looking forward to being able to index more and more of the web using mobile-first indexing to help more users to search the internet using a smartphone.