Google’s John Mueller recently shared a few of the factors that affect a website’s mobile search ranking on Google.
First and foremost, Mueller announced that one of the main factors that Google takes into consideration is the speed of the desktop site. The rationale behind using website load speed as a ranking signal is that if a user comes across a website via a mobile search, and the website loads very slowly, the user is likely to move on to another website.
Google is intent on providing users with information that they request, as quickly as possible. Since a large number of searches come from mobile devices, Google penalizes sites that load poorly.
In additional to the speed of the desktop site, Google also takes into consideration the rel canonical signal.
How Else Can I Optimize My Website for Mobile Users?
In addition to your website’s load time, you should also consider how your website appears on mobile devices. It is not enough for your mobile website to load at a decent speed. You should be sure that your mobile website is easily to navigate and that the content is easy to read.
Google provides webmasters with a tool to test how “mobile friendly” a website is. Users can enter their URL and have Google analyze their mobile website. The tool will provide feedback on whether or not a website is mobile friendly.
If Google does not find your website to be mobile-friendly, it will provide reasons why, and ways to enhance your site for mobile users.
While Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool is helpful, it is not 100% accurate. Webmasters should analyze their website themselves by visiting the site on a mobile device.