Google have announced two big changes to their search result algorithms.
The first is that the company is planning on ranking mobile-friendly sites much higher in search results.
They have also started using information from indexed apps as a factor in ranking for signed-in users who have the app installed.
The first change will occur from 21st April, and Google think it will have a “significant impact” on their search results, and will affect mobile searches in all worldwide languages.
They say it should let users get better relevant, high quality search results that are optimised for their devices.
It is also a move that should encourage people to build a mobile-friendly site.
In a blog post, Google said: “When it comes to search on mobile devices, users should get the most relevant and timely results, no matter if the information lives on mobile-friendly web pages or apps. As more people use mobile devices to access the internet, our algorithms have to adapt to these usage patterns.”
Site owners can currently test their site to see if it is mobile-friendly, to find how Googlebot views their pages.
And the second change, the use of information from indexed apps, started last Thursday.
Google said with this change, they may also surface content from indexed apps more prominently in search.
To find out more about how to implement App Indexing, click here for a step-by-step guide.