What version of a site Google indexes
Google uses the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking. A separate mobile site is not required for inclusion in search results, and Google says responsive design is strongly recommended: the same HTML and the same URL for desktop, tablet, and phone, with the display allowed to change by screen size.
What if the phone page has less content than the desktop page?
Bring the primary content up to the desktop page. Indexing comes from the mobile site, so a thinner phone page gives Google less to index. Google says you can expect some traffic loss if the phone page is meant to have less content. Moving content into accordions or tabs is the alternative it names, as long as the content is equivalent and the headings stay clear.
This page does not sell a rebuild. A build, when someone asks for one, is web development, at that page's published terms. Related reading on judging a mobile page before ad spend is digital conversion.
Related reading
Key takeaways
- Google uses the mobile version of a site, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking.
- If the phone page has less primary content than the desktop page, Google says you can expect some traffic loss.
- This page does not sell a rebuild.
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