Google Page Experience with Core Web Vitals
And unusually, Google is giving you a chance to fix your issues BEFORE they roll out this algorithm. Don’t
wait till the last minute to improve your site because the last thing
you want to do is lose traffic when you could have prevented it.
wait till the last minute to improve your site because the last thing
you want to do is lose traffic when you could have prevented it.
Read on to find out how you can improve your site’s page experience ahead of this update.
What we know so far and what you can do to prepare for the Google Page Experience Update (Aka Core Web Vitals)
Does
your website offer a great user experience (UX)? Do you make it as
quick, helpful and enjoyable as possible for your website visitors to
interact with your content?
your website offer a great user experience (UX)? Do you make it as
quick, helpful and enjoyable as possible for your website visitors to
interact with your content?
If you know your site’s user experience (UX) needs improving, now is the time to get to work.
The Google Page Experience Update
Back in May 2020, Google announced its intention to roll out a page experience update
designed to indicate in search results which websites offer the best
usability for visitors. You might also see people refer to it as the Core Web Vitals update.
designed to indicate in search results which websites offer the best
usability for visitors. You might also see people refer to it as the Core Web Vitals update.
In November 2020, the search engine confirmed that the update will “measure
how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page and
contribute to our ongoing work to ensure people get the most helpful and
enjoyable experiences from the web”.
how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page and
contribute to our ongoing work to ensure people get the most helpful and
enjoyable experiences from the web”.
Google has said the update aims to “measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond its pure information value”.
So, what does this mean for your website?
What we know about the Google Page Experience update so far
The page experience update could potentially impact all websites, which means that it could turn out to be one of the more significant Google algorithm shifts.
Google
wants to know that its customers – i.e. anyone who makes a Google
search – are going to have the best possible experience when they visit a
website via a search results page.
wants to know that its customers – i.e. anyone who makes a Google
search – are going to have the best possible experience when they visit a
website via a search results page.
Pages that have previously
performed well may go down in rankings if the page experience is poor.
Equally, those pages that offer a great UX may see a boost in their
visibility in searches.
performed well may go down in rankings if the page experience is poor.
Equally, those pages that offer a great UX may see a boost in their
visibility in searches.
Of course, it won’t be completely cut and dried.
If
pages offer really fantastic content but the page experience has room
for improvement, the chances are they will still rank well. However, it
could leave their rankings vulnerable in the longer term to competitors
who go a step further and combine great content with a great UX.
pages offer really fantastic content but the page experience has room
for improvement, the chances are they will still rank well. However, it
could leave their rankings vulnerable in the longer term to competitors
who go a step further and combine great content with a great UX.
The search engine has confirmed this, saying:
“While
page experience is important, Google still seeks to rank pages with the
best information overall, even if the page experience is subpar. Great
page experience doesn’t override having great page content. However, in
cases where there are many pages that may be similar in relevance, page
experience can be much more important for visibility in Search.”
page experience is important, Google still seeks to rank pages with the
best information overall, even if the page experience is subpar. Great
page experience doesn’t override having great page content. However, in
cases where there are many pages that may be similar in relevance, page
experience can be much more important for visibility in Search.”
This means that, all other things being equal, page experience may be the deciding ranking factor.
Google’s Rudy Galfi, the product lead on the Google Search Ecosystem team, told Search Engine Land
that page experience scores will “play a vital role in what content
shows in Google’s Top Stories section”. So, I think we will start to see
the update making a difference.
that page experience scores will “play a vital role in what content
shows in Google’s Top Stories section”. So, I think we will start to see
the update making a difference.
Knowing this, my advice is that
we should all be focusing on how to make page experience better. If
nothing else, it will make websites more user friendly, which is only
ever a good thing for those all-important ideal customers we want to attract.
we should all be focusing on how to make page experience better. If
nothing else, it will make websites more user friendly, which is only
ever a good thing for those all-important ideal customers we want to attract.
A good page experience label in searches
How will you know if your web pages are seen by Google to offer a good page experience?
Well,
towards the end of 2020, the search giant tested featuring a page
experience icon in search results. This looked like a star within a grey
circle.
towards the end of 2020, the search giant tested featuring a page
experience icon in search results. This looked like a star within a grey
circle.
If this label is rolled out more widely, which is the current plan, it will be an at-a-glance indicator to searchers that they can expect a great UX when they click through to a page – and who doesn’t want that?
This
is bound to have a positive impact on clickthrough rates to pages with
the page experience icon. And the greater the clickthrough rates, the
more likely an up-turn in rankings.
is bound to have a positive impact on clickthrough rates to pages with
the page experience icon. And the greater the clickthrough rates, the
more likely an up-turn in rankings.
Page experience factors
The
Page Experience update will look at different metrics/factors to decide
whether a page provides a great UX. This will assess questions such as:
Page Experience update will look at different metrics/factors to decide
whether a page provides a great UX. This will assess questions such as:
Does the page load quickly?Is it mobile-friendly?Does it run on HTTPS and is it safe to browse?Are there intrusive pop-ups and ads that stop searchers getting straight to the information they want?Does the content jump around as the page loads? (AKA ‘layout shifts’)
Although
these have each been ranking signals for some time, the Page Experience
update may put more emphasis on these factors or how they’re grouped,
as we’ve already outlined above.
these have each been ranking signals for some time, the Page Experience
update may put more emphasis on these factors or how they’re grouped,
as we’ve already outlined above.
Core Web Vitals
We’ll be hearing a lot more about Core Web Vitals and SEO this year, as they will also be used as search signals for page experience.
Google has specifically mentioned Core Web Vitals that measure:
Loading performanceInteractivityVisual stability of the page