Mobile First Indexing: What Comes Next?

Imagine you’re in 2016: the era of people roaming the streets with Pokémon GO.

You open your phone and see read the news:

Google has just announced its plans for mobile-first indexing, and SEOs everywhere are scrambling.

It’s like finding out your favorite pizza place is switching to a tapas-only menu, and you’ve never even had a small plate in your life.

Fast forward to today… Google’s mobile-first indexing has officially rolled out across the board, and we’re wondering if the time has come to start thinking about what's next.

As of 2023, 58.33% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices.

More than half of Google searches happen on mobile.

By now, every small business has learned the importance of optimizing their site for mobile browsing.

Yes, mobile-first indexing was a huge leap in 2016 to cater to these users, but could it be that the shift is complete? And a new one is behind a corner?

A large portion of the SEO world has stopped asking how to optimize for mobile first indexing.

They asked a more crucial question: What's next?

In this article, we’ll dive into Google’s seven-year mobile-first journey—thanks to insights from Search Engine Land—and then look ahead.

While everyone else is caught up in the mobile race, get ready to set your sights on the next horizon.

Because in the world of SEO the finish line is always moving, and right now, it’s pointing to a future that’s more immersive, inclusive, and driven by new technology.

Ready to embrace it?

Let’s future-proof.

The Evolution of Mobile-First Indexing

To understand where we’re headed, we need to rewind a bit. Back in 2016, a big year when we mourned Bowie’s death and people were raging about Pokémon GO, Google first announced mobile-first indexing.

This move forever changed the SEO landscape.

Before this shift, Google crawled and indexed sites based on their desktop versions, even though more and more people were using mobile devices to access content.

The disconnect was obvious: a user on a mobile device would land on a desktop-optimized site, resulting in frustrating experiences like pinching to zoom, slow loading times, and clunky navigation.

It was like trying to read a novel through a keyhole—possible, but not fun.

So, as Google does, Google did. They made a move to align their indexing process with user behavior.

Over the next several years, they gradually rolled out mobile-first indexing, analyzing how websites performed on mobile devices and adjusting their algorithms accordingly. This was no quick switch—Google took its time. It wasn’t until March 2021 that over 70% of sites were indexed mobile-first, and only in 2023 did Google declare the process fully complete ​(Semrush)

Why did this shift change SEO so much?

It forced webmasters to optimize for mobile or risk being invisible in search results.

But it wasn’t just about shrinking down content for smaller screens. Mobile-first indexing demanded a complete rethinking of how sites were designed, from loading times and user experience (UX) to the structure of content itself.

One of the pivotal changes was the rise of responsive design, a site that adapts to different screen sizes seamlessly.

Sites that weren’t mobile-friendly saw their rankings dip, while those that embraced mobile optimization saw an uptick.

Google's Core Web Vitals update further cemented this focus on mobile performance, prioritizing metrics like load times, visual stability, and interactivity as critical factors for SEO ​(Semrush).

Beyond mere convenience for the users, it was about reflecting how people consume content. Google knew that aligning search results with real-world user behavior was crucial.

Now that Google has fully transitioned, mobile-first indexing is the default.

But as we’ll explore next, the mobile era may just be the beginning of even more radical changes in how we approach SEO.

What Comes After Mobile-First? A Quick Dip into the Future

With Google’s mobile-first indexing now fully implemented, you might think we’ve hit the SEO finish line.

But here’s the thing: in SEO, there is no finish line. The digital landscape evolves, and so do the ways users interact with search.

From AI to voice search, to Core Web Vitals, we’ll help you prepare your site for the future, beyond just mobile-first indexing (we’re pretty sure you got that one covered).

Here are a few emerging trends that will (and already are) shaping the future of SEO.

Voice Search is the New Mobile Search

If mobile-first indexing was driven by the surge in mobile users, the next wave of change will come from the growth of voice search. With the popularity of smart speakers and voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, optimizing for voice queries is no longer optional.

Voice search queries tend to be more conversational and longer than typical typed searches. Instead of searching “best pizza near me,” a voice search query might sound like, “Where can I get the best pizza in my area?” or “Give me 5 best pizza places near me.”

How to adapt SEO strategies to the voice search queries? By focusing on long-tail, question-based, conversational keywords and structuring content to answer specific user queries directly (think FAQs or natural language responses).

It seems it’s time to think beyond traditional keywords and start optimizing for natural language processing.

Key will be to create content that’s easily scannable by voice assistants, and ensure your website can quickly provide the answers that voice search users are looking for.

Google is also getting smarter at understanding intent, so it’s not just about keywords anymore—it’s about answering questions.

AI and Multimodal Search

Next up: artificial intelligence (AI) is going to play a massive role in search moving forward. Google’s AI algorithms, like MUM (Multitask Unified Model), have already begun transforming search experiences. MUM can understand content in multiple languages and formats, and it can analyze text, video, images, and audio to answer complex queries that traditional Google algorithms struggle with.

This AI-driven approach is essentially leveling up Google’s ability to interpret and deliver relevant results, even for more nuanced or broad questions.

Providing high-quality, diverse content types (images, text, videos etc.) isn’t just a bonus anymore, it’s becoming essential as AI evolves.

Core Web Vitals and Page Experience Metrics

While mobile-first indexing focuses heavily on making sure sites are mobile-friendly, Core Web Vitals take things a step further by prioritizing page experience.

Google’s CWV metrics emphasize load speed, visual stability, and interactivity as key ranking factors. In a mobile-first world, ensuring a fast and smooth user experience is critical, especially for those browsing on slower mobile networks.

The future of SEO will increasingly focus on UX and technical performance.

This means optimizing for metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

In simpler terms: your site should load quickly, be stable while loading (no shifting elements), and respond promptly to user interactions. These factors are already significant today but will likely become even more important as Google continues to reward sites that prioritize UX.

Visual and AR Search

Another future trend involves visual search and augmented reality (AR).

With advancements in smartphone camera technology and platforms like Google Lens, users are increasingly searching the web through images and AR interfaces.

Imagine a future where you can take a picture of a product and immediately find similar items, reviews, and purchase options. Smooth and fast.

You can easily see why visual search optimization is becoming a new frontier in SEO.

For businesses, this means incorporating high-quality images with proper alt-text and metadata to make them searchable.

In the same vein, AR could start playing a larger role, especially in industries like e-commerce, real estate, and travel, where users benefit from immersive, visual experiences.

Brands that invest in AR content could gain an edge as more users start searching with their cameras instead of typing queries.

Inclusivity and Accessibility

The future of search will also bring a heavier emphasis on accessibility.

As mobile-first indexing forced us to think about how users experience websites on different devices, the next step is making sure everyone can access and enjoy that content.

This includes optimizing for screen readers, ensuring keyboard navigation works smoothly, and offering content that’s accessible for people with disabilities.

Google has made it clear that user experience isn’t just about speed and ease. Inclusivity is increasingly more important.

Sites that aren’t accessible may face legal consequences and risk falling behind in search rankings.

As we look toward the future, building sites that meet ADA compliance and accessibility standards will improve rankings by providing a better experience for a wider audience..

Prepare Now to Gain Advantage

Mobile-first indexing might feel like the final frontier we’ve been optimizing for over the last decade, but in reality, it’s just the tip of the SEO iceberg.

While everyone is still focused on squeezing the last bit of speed out of their mobile sites, the future is tapping on our digital shoulders, and it’s wearing a VR headset.

To future-proof your site, it’s essential to prepare for all of the 5 mentioned “future figures” waving at the horizon.

Whether it's optimizing for voice search, AI-driven multimodal queries, or visual search, the evolution of SEO is far from over.

The good news? Those who prepare now, implementing the future-proof strategies, will have a distinct advantage in the post-mobile-first world.

Yes, mobile optimization is still crucial, we’re not saying to toss it out like last year’s fashion.

But if you don’t want to be knocked down by surprise, it’s time to start thinking bigger.

Think of mobile-first as the foundation, but the skyscraper is still under construction.