Google, in 2015, made the push for mobile-friendly content to determine ranking on their search engine. The feature is now obsolete, but having mobile-friendly content can still be beneficial in some cases.
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However, the latest guidelines from Google reveal that the old ranking system which included mobile-friendly content has been removed along with three other types of rankings. These include the page experience system, page speed system, and secure sites system.
It means that creating an excellent user experience on your website, loading pages quickly, as well as keeping them secure are to become more critical factors in determining how well your site ranks on Google.
In the past, having a mobile-friendly website was crucial as it served as a ranking signal for Google's search algorithm. However, in 2021, Google announced that the mobile-first indexing approach would be applied to all websites by default. This means that Google primarily uses the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking purposes.
While mobile-friendliness remains important for user experience, it is not directly tied to search ranking anymore. Google has stated that a website's mobile-friendliness will not negatively impact its ranking, but it may still affect how users interact with the website on different devices. Therefore, it is still recommended to have a mobile-friendly website to provide a smooth and intuitive experience for mobile users.
It's worth noting that other factors like page loading speed, relevant content, backlinks, and overall website quality still heavily influence search ranking. Hence, focusing on these aspects along with mobile-friendliness can help optimize your website's visibility in Google search results.