Official statement
Other statements from this video 7 ▾
- □ Les Core Web Vitals influencent-ils vraiment le classement du contenu utile ?
- □ Google abandonne-t-il la compatibilité mobile comme facteur de classement indépendant ?
- □ Pourquoi Google abandonne-t-il l'outil de test d'optimisation mobile ?
- □ Pourquoi Google remplace-t-il FID par INP dans les Core Web Vitals ?
- □ Peut-on enfin éditer le code directement dans le test des résultats enrichis de Google ?
- □ Search Console Insights fonctionne-t-il vraiment mieux sans Google Analytics ?
- □ Search Labs : comment tester les nouvelles fonctionnalités IA de Google avant leur déploiement ?
Google is removing the mobile usability report from Search Console. This decision marks the end of a diagnostic tool that has become obsolete since the shift to Mobile-First Indexing. Webmasters will now need to rely on other tools to validate their site's mobile experience.
What you need to understand
Why is Google removing this report now?
The mobile usability report has served its purpose for years, but its usefulness has steadily eroded. Since Google shifted its entire index to Mobile-First, this report became redundant with other diagnostic tools.
Google's decision reflects a logical evolution: when 100% of indexing is mobile-first, a report dedicated to mobile usability loses its exceptional status. Mobile is no longer a variant — it's the norm.
What exactly did this report measure?
The mobile usability report detected basic technical issues: content wider than the screen, clickable elements too close together, illegible font sizes, missing viewport. Configuration errors that modern sites shouldn't be making anymore.
These checks were relevant when responsive design wasn't yet standard practice. Today, most frameworks and CMS platforms handle these aspects natively.
Which tools remain in Search Console for mobile?
Google is keeping more sophisticated tools that better align with its current ranking criteria. The Core Web Vitals report remains central, as does the mobile optimization test accessible through URL Inspection. These tools measure more complex aspects of user experience.
- The mobile usability report disappears completely from Search Console
- This removal doesn't change Google's mobile ranking criteria
- Core Web Vitals become the primary mobile experience indicator
- The mobile optimization test remains available through URL inspection
- Sites with mobile usability issues continue to be penalized
SEO Expert opinion
Does this removal hide a shift in Google's priorities?
No. Google isn't reducing its focus on mobile — it's simply rationalizing its tools. The underlying message is clear: basic mobile usability is no longer negotiable, it's assumed to be in place.
The real battle now takes place over Core Web Vitals, advanced ergonomics, and adaptation to increasingly varied mobile screens. A site that still fails basic mobile usability tests by late 2023 has problems far deeper than a Search Console report could fix.
Do field data confirm the relevance of this removal?
Let's be honest: how many professional websites do you still encounter that fail basic mobile usability tests? These errors are concentrated primarily on abandoned sites or exotic configurations never tested on mobile.
The mobile experience problems we encounter today are of a different order: catastrophic loading times, intrusive interstitials, unstable layouts. None of these aspects were really covered by the mobile usability report. [To verify]: Google hasn't released data on the actual usage rate of this report — but its removal suggests it had become marginal.
What risks for sites that ignored this report?
If your site displayed errors in the mobile usability report and you ignored them, the report's removal doesn't solve anything. The problems persist, and Google will continue to penalize them through its mobile ranking algorithms.
The difference? You'll no longer have a centralized, free diagnostic. You'll need to use third-party tools or rely solely on Core Web Vitals — which don't detect everything.
Practical impact and recommendations
What should you do concretely before the removal?
Export your latest mobile usability reports if any errors still appear there. Fix them before the tool disappears — you'll lose a simple, free diagnostic afterward.
Test your site with alternative tools: Google's Mobile-Friendly Test (still active), Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights. Verify that your responsive configuration works on multiple screen sizes, not just iPhone and Galaxy S.
How do you monitor mobile usability without this report?
Integrate regular testing into your routine with third-party tools. Core Web Vitals in Search Console become your primary indicator, but they don't entirely replace basic usability checks.
Set up automated tests in your development pipeline. Lighthouse CI, for example, can block a deployment if the mobile score drops below a defined threshold. That's more proactive than waiting for a post-mortem report in Search Console.
- Export and archive your latest mobile usability reports containing errors
- Fix all detected errors before the tool is removed
- Add the Mobile-Friendly Test to your regular technical audits
- Monitor Core Web Vitals as your primary mobile experience indicator
- Manually test your site on multiple real devices (not just desktop in responsive mode)
- Integrate Lighthouse into your development workflow
- Check interactive elements (forms, buttons) on touch screens
The removal of the mobile usability report doesn't change the fundamentals: a site must work perfectly on mobile. Google is removing a tool that became obsolete, not a ranking criterion.
Well-designed sites won't even notice this disappearance. Those discovering mobile usability issues in late 2023 probably overlooked other warning signs long before. If your technical configuration is complex or you lack internal resources to maintain constant oversight of all these aspects, working with a specialized SEO agency can prove valuable in avoiding blind spots and ensuring optimal mobile experience over the long term.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Le Mobile-Friendly Test de Google va-t-il aussi disparaître ?
Les erreurs d'utilisabilité mobile affecteront-elles toujours le ranking ?
Quel outil remplace le rapport d'utilisabilité mobile dans Search Console ?
Dois-je exporter mes données avant la suppression ?
Cette suppression signale-t-elle un changement de stratégie mobile chez Google ?
🎥 From the same video 7
Other SEO insights extracted from this same Google Search Central video · published on 18/07/2023
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