The other week I answered the question of what is Google Hummingbird and it begged a question in my mind. Is there a difference between Google Mobile and desktop? Doing a number of identical searches between a desktop and a mobile device has yielded the same results, just slightly rearranged occasionally to accommodate for a lack of space on the mobile device. But is there a difference between Google mobile and desktop?

Is There a Difference Between Google Mobile and Desktop

It stands to reason that Google wants the best results for its users no matter which device they are accessing it through. As I mentioned in that post on Hummingbird, it’s true that mobile users and desktop users search differently.

Mobile users want their results more quickly because they are on the go and generally the information they are looking for will more readily affect what they are doing in that moment. Also, not to say that desktop users have more of a tolerance when it comes to being annoyed by spammy results, but mobile users likely have less time for spam or non-targeted results as it relates to their search when they’re on the go.

That said, you can’t successfully make the argument that desktop users are more willing to put up with spammy results than their mobile counterparts. Everyone wants the most targeted results as it relates to their queries, so I can’t understand why Google would create different results for mobile users versus desktop users.

Mobile users also search using different terms than desktop users would normally, so oftentimes they’re not even searching for the same queries which seems to be another reason to not differentiate between the results for one device over another. Remember I’m arguing that for the same exact search phrase you should see the same results, not for a typical mobile version of a query versus the translated typical desktop version of a query which more often than not would likely be different.

I have heard someone argue that more local searches should or would return for a mobile Google search versus a desktop. Again I don’t see how it makes sense to differentiate between the two here. Someone in Topeka, Kansas searching for “pizza” is likely just as interested in local pizza places as someone doing a mobile search. Those results may change as the mobile user moves around but you put those two users in the same room and you should get the same results.

What do you think? Have you noticed a difference? Remember to make sure you clear your cookies on both devices before testing it so you won’t have skewed results due to Google returning personal settings.