From 21 April 2015 Google began ranking mobile-friendly pages higher in searches made on phones. A site that adapts to a 320-pixel screen without sideways scrolling qualifies. Since then responsive design has gone from advantage to baseline, and Google now indexes the mobile version of a site first.
21 April 2015 is the day. Google is rolling out a change to its search algorithm so that mobile-friendly websites are preferred in search results on phones. Sites whose layouts adapt to the width of the screen will appear ahead of those that do not.
What counts as mobile friendly?
Among other criteria, a mobile-friendly site fits a 320-pixel-wide screen and works without sideways scrolling. A lot of websites still do not do this. Does the whole world wide web make sense on a small phone screen? Does not too much get lost?
Not if different screens get different layouts. With a bit of technical care, a multi-column layout on a large monitor becomes a single column on a phone, and something in between on a tablet. Nothing is lost. It is just arranged for the screen in your hand.
Why it matters
A responsive website is now a must, if you want your website to be seen. More people browse on phones and tablets than on desktops, and the gap keeps growing. If your site was built before responsive design was standard, this is the moment to fix it.
Note, 2026: this was the first of several mobile updates. Google has since moved to indexing the mobile version of a site first, so a site that only works on a desktop is now invisible rather than merely disadvantaged. Every site I build, including this one, is designed for the phone first.
Questions people ask
What is a responsive website?
A website whose layout adapts to the width of the screen, so the same page works on a phone, a tablet and a desktop monitor without separate versions or sideways scrolling.
Sources
- Finding more mobile-friendly search results, Google Search Central Blog