Mobile SEO.

Mobile SEO is the practice of optimising websites so they perform well and provide a good user experience on smartphones and tablets. Since Google switched to mobile-first indexing — using the mobile version of a page as the primary basis for indexing and ranking — mobile optimisation has become a prerequisite rather than an optional enhancement. Sites that perform significantly worse on mobile than desktop are ranked on the basis of their weaker mobile experience.

Core Mobile SEO Requirements

Responsive design (the same HTML served to all devices, styled by CSS media queries) is the Google-recommended approach. Text must be readable without zooming. Tap targets (buttons and links) must be sized and spaced for finger navigation. Content must be identical between mobile and desktop — hiding content behind tabs or accordions on mobile that's visible on desktop can reduce its ranking weight. Mobile page speed is paramount: mobile networks are slower, and mobile LCP thresholds are harder to achieve.

Mobile-Specific SEO Considerations

Avoid interstitials that cover the main content on mobile (pop-ups immediately on page load), which Google penalises. Ensure phone numbers are click-to-call formatted. Test with Google's Mobile Usability report in Search Console, which flags specific issues like viewport not configured, content wider than screen, and clickable elements too close together. Chrome DevTools' device emulation and real device testing with WebPageTest reveal performance gaps between desktop and mobile.