Google's mobile-first indexing initiative, which began seven and a half years ago, will be fully implemented after July 5, 2024.
John Mueller from Google announced that after this date, the remaining sites still crawled by desktop Googlebot will switch to mobile Googlebot. Most of the web is already being crawled this way, and there will be no change for these sites. However, sites that are inaccessible via mobile devices will no longer be indexed or ranked by Google.
Key Points
- Mobile Accessibility Requirement: Sites must be accessible on mobile devices to be indexed by Google. If a site's content is not accessible on mobile, it will not be indexable.
- Desktop Templates: Sites with desktop-only templates are acceptable as long as they load on mobile devices.
- Continued Desktop Crawling: Google will still use the Googlebot Desktop crawler for specific purposes like product listings and Google for Jobs, so it may still appear in server logs and reporting tools.
Implications
For most site owners, this change may not be an issue. However, after July 5, 2024, if a site does not load on mobile devices, it will not be crawled or indexed by Google. SEO professionals should ensure that sites are accessible on mobile devices and use the Google Search Console URL Inspection tool to verify rendering.
