What’s this about?
At last!
Google has almost revealed how we will know when our sites are being served from the looming Mobile First Index.
The answer, as always, will be in your log files.
Those unassuming heroes of the internet which hold so many secrets, yet lie unloved in the corners of your web servers.
Read about how to do it in this extract from TWIS SEO News & Updates 15th December 2017.
#SEO #SEONews #MobileFirst #LogFiles #Googlebot
Google’s Mobile First Index Will Show In Your Log Files
Key Issues Summary:
- John Mueller seems to have been in an effusive mood as he muttered about the looming mobile first index from Google.
- Basically, if you check your log files (you do know what they are, don’t you?), you will see a significant transformation in requests from Googlebot Desktop to Googlebot Mobile.
- The crawling shift will be big and obvious, apparently.
Key Actions To Take:
- Check your log files for requests from Googlebot.
- Calculate the split between Desktop and Mobile and….. bingo, bango, bongo… there you have it.
- If you don’t know how to access your log file, chat to your host.
- If you don’t know how to interpret them, again talk to your host.
- Wait for my blog post on how to dissect your log files, there’s gold dust in there.
- Click here to contact me for help on dissecting log files.
Insights & Discussion:
Log files are the prune juice of the internet. We know we need to use them, but we rarely do.
We also know that if we use them wisely, we’ll get a lot out of the system.
I really recommend getting into the habit of downloading and reading your log files regularly. I used to have a script which analysed my log files daily and told me where my traffic was coming from, to which pages and other data. I didn’t need Google Analytics then.
Anyway, I can’t stress this highly enough, you should be analysing your log files to identify crawling issues, traffic issues and all sorts of things. However, you can get lost in there, so keep your analysis as detailed as you need it without going overboard.
More Information:
Mobile First is NOT Mobile Friendly
TL;DR
- Google has revealed how to tell if you’re site is being served from the Mobile First Index.
- The answer is in your web server’s log files.
- And it’s really simple, your ratio of requests will be much higher from googlebot mobile than googlebot desktop.
- Much, much, higher.
- Read The State of SEO in mid-2017.
- Read about how Google’s Mobile First Index is not Mobile Friendly.
- Finally, get your content ranking well on Google by starting to understand Find Crawl Index.
Thanks for reading. If you would like to discuss what these changes mean for your web property, or would like to know how to implement them, please feel free to contact me.
