How To Track Mobile Usability in Search Console

Mobile usability directly impacts your website's SEO rankings and user experience. With mobile devices driving over 70% of web traffic and expected to account for 75% of eCommerce sales by 2025, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is crucial. Google Search Console offers tools to identify and fix mobile usability issues that can hurt your performance. Start by verifying your site, analyzing mobile reports, and addressing common issues like non-responsive design, small fonts, or closely placed clickable elements.

Key Steps to Track Mobile Usability:

• Verify Your Website: Use Google Search Console to add and verify your site ownership.

• Analyze Mobile Reports: Use tools like Core Web Vitals, Page Experience, and URL Inspection to identify issues.

• Fix Common Problems: Adjust viewport settings, optimize images, and improve touch target spacing.

• Automate Tracking: Set up automated reports with tools like Metrics Watch for ongoing monitoring.

By following these steps, you can improve your site's mobile performance, boost engagement, and maintain strong search rankings.

Mobile Usability Testing Using Google Search Console

Getting Started with Search Console

Now that you understand how mobile SEO influences your site, it’s time to configure Google Search Console to monitor your website’s performance effectively.

While Google no longer offers dedicated mobile testing tools, Search Console provides alternative metrics that deliver valuable insights into your site's performance.

Website Verification Steps

To start using Search Console, follow these steps:

• Create a Google Account

  If you don’t already have one, set up a Google account to access Search Console.

• Add Your Property

  Sign in to Search Console at

  search.console.google.com and click "Add Property." You’ll have two options:

  • Domain Property: Tracks all subdomains and protocols.

  • URL-prefix Property: Tracks specific URLs or subdomains.

• Verify Ownership

  Prove that you own the website using one of these methods:

  • Uploading an HTML file to your site.

  • Adding an HTML meta tag to your site’s homepage.

  • Connecting your Google Analytics account.

  • Using Google Tag Manager.

  • Verifying through your domain name provider.

"You'll need to prove that you are the owner of your website, because Search Console shows information about your site that only site owners should see, and allows you to make changes that can affect how your site appears on Google."
– Google Search Console Help

Once you’ve verified ownership, you can access mobile-related insights through alternative reports in Search Console.

Finding Mobile Reports

Although Google retired the dedicated mobile usability report, you can still access essential mobile performance insights. Google suggests using Lighthouse, a tool built into Chrome, to assess mobile usability. Lighthouse evaluates:

• Page performance metrics.

• Accessibility features.

• Best practices for site design.

• SEO elements.

In addition, Search Console offers mobile insights through Core Web Vitals, Page Experience, Performance Reports, and the URL Inspection Tool. These resources provide a comprehensive view of how your site performs on mobile devices.

Fix Common Mobile Issues

Mobile usability plays a big role in both search rankings and overall user experience. Let’s dive into how you can spot and fix the most common mobile-related problems using tools from Search Console.

Top Mobile Errors

Search Console highlights several key mobile usability issues that could hurt your site’s performance. Here are the most common ones:

Content Width Problems
When content spills beyond the viewport, users are forced to scroll horizontally - a frustrating experience. This typically happens when:

• Images aren’t scaled properly

• Tables exceed the screen’s width

• Fixed-width elements don’t adapt to viewport settings

Touch Element Challenges
If clickable elements are too small or placed too close together, users may accidentally tap the wrong button or link. To improve usability:

• Make touch targets at least 48x48 pixels

• Add more spacing between interactive elements

• Clearly distinguish separate clickable areas

Testing URLs in Real-Time

The URL Inspection Tool in Search Console is a quick way to check how mobile-friendly a specific page is. Here’s how you can use it:

1. Open Search Console and select your website property.

2. Navigate to "URL Inspection" in the left-hand menu.

3. Enter the URL you want to test.

4. Click "Test Live URL" to analyze the page’s current version.

5. Check the Mobile Usability section in the results for any flagged issues.

This tool lets you see how Googlebot views your page, complete with screenshots and detailed reports. Once you’ve identified problems, you can apply targeted fixes.

Mobile Error Solutions

Here are some practical fixes for common issues:

Viewport Configuration
Add this meta tag in your page’s <head> section to ensure proper scaling:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">

Responsive Images
Use this CSS to make images adapt to different screen sizes:

img {
    max-width: 100%;
    height: auto;
}

Touch Element Spacing
Improve touch target usability with this CSS:

.clickable-element {
    padding: 12px;
    margin: 8px;
    min-height: 48px;
    min-width: 48px;
}

"Unresolved mobile usability errors can result in a poor user experience and may cause a noticeable drop in your website's traffic." - Salman Ravoof

Keep in mind, some flagged issues might be false positives due to crawling limitations. Once you’ve made the necessary fixes, use the URL Inspection Tool again to validate your changes and request a recrawl if needed.

Automate Mobile Tracking

After addressing mobile usability issues, the next step is to keep a close eye on your site's performance. Automating this process ensures you stay on top of any changes or new issues that might arise. Tools like Metrics Watch make this simple by linking directly to Google Search Console, giving you a seamless way to monitor and optimize your mobile performance.

Set Up Metrics Watch Reports

Here’s how to get started with Metrics Watch:

• Connect Your Data Source

  Log in to your Metrics Watch dashboard and click on "Add New Integration." Select Google Search Console from the list, and follow the steps to authenticate and link your account.

• Configure Mobile Report Settings

  Use the drag-and-drop feature to build your mobile report. Include important metrics like:

  • Types of mobile usability errors

  • Number of pages affected

  • Trends in mobile traffic

• Set Delivery Schedule

  Decide how often you want reports sent:

  • Daily reports for active optimization efforts

  • Weekly summaries to keep tabs on progress

  • Monthly overviews for client presentations

Create Client Reports

Once your reports are ready, they can be tailored to provide clear, actionable insights for your clients.

• White-Label Customization

  Personalize your reports to reflect your brand:

  • Add your company logo and colors

  • Use your custom email address for sending reports

  • Include tailored analysis and recommendations

• Template Management

  Save time by creating reusable templates for mobile usability reports. Metrics Watch offers pre-built templates that you can tweak to fit your clients’ specific needs.

Next Steps

Now that you've addressed mobile errors and set up automated tracking, it's time to keep the momentum going. Here's how:

Schedule Regular Health Checks

Make it a habit to review your site in Google Search Console every month. This helps you stay ahead of potential mobile usability issues like small text, improperly set viewports, or clickable elements that are too close together. These regular reviews build on the fixes you've already implemented and help ensure a seamless mobile experience.

Incorporate Automated and Manual Testing

Combine automated testing tools like Metrics Watch with manual testing for a more thorough approach. Manual testing remains invaluable because it adds a human perspective to the process.

"Manual testing provides unique value through human insight and adaptability. When testers explore software like real users, they often uncover unexpected issues and usability problems that automated scripts might miss".

Keep Up with Mobile Standards

Mobile usability standards are always changing, so your strategies should evolve too. Google emphasizes the importance of responsive design principles for easier site maintenance and better crawling efficiency. Staying informed and updating your practices ensures your site remains mobile-friendly as expectations shift.

FAQs

How do I verify my website in Google Search Console to monitor mobile usability?

To get your website verified in Google Search Console and begin monitoring mobile usability, here’s what you need to do:

• Log in to Google Search Console using your Google account.

• Click on Add Property and input your website’s URL.

• Choose a verification method. Options include uploading an HTML file, adding an HTML tag, or using tools like Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager.

• Follow the provided steps for the selected method to confirm your ownership.

Once your site is verified, you’ll gain access to tools like mobile usability tracking, helping you optimize your site for mobile users.

What are the common mobile usability issues that impact SEO, and how can I fix them using Google Search Console?

Mobile usability issues can take a toll on your site's SEO by negatively impacting user experience. Some of the most common challenges include:

• Improper viewport settings: Without the correct viewport configuration, your site won't scale properly on mobile devices.

• Text that's too small: Tiny fonts make reading difficult on smaller screens.

• Overlapping clickable elements: Buttons or links placed too close together can lead to frustrating accidental taps.

• Content extending beyond the screen: When users need to scroll horizontally, it disrupts their browsing experience.

To address these problems, head to Google Search Console and navigate to the Mobile Usability section under Experience. There, you'll find a list of errors and the specific pages they affect. Tackle these issues by updating your site's design - adjust viewport settings, use larger font sizes, space out clickable elements, and ensure your content fits neatly within the screen width. Once you've made the necessary changes, validate your fixes in Search Console to confirm everything is back on track.

Why should I automate mobile usability tracking, and how can I set up automated reports in Google Search Console?

Automating mobile usability tracking plays a key role in delivering a smooth and satisfying experience for your website visitors. It allows you to quickly identify and fix problems that might harm user satisfaction, lower SEO rankings, or reduce engagement. Plus, automation cuts down on the time spent on manual checks and delivers consistent, precise insights to help your site stay competitive.

For setting up automated reports in Google Search Console, you can leverage the platform's API to schedule updates on essential metrics like clicks, impressions, and mobile usability errors. These reports can be customized to fit your specific needs, ensuring stakeholders receive timely updates without extra work. This streamlined approach lets you focus on using the insights to make data-driven improvements and tackle potential issues before they escalate.

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