Are you ready for Google’s Page Experience update?

Google has announced a new Page Experience search algorithm update which will be rolled out in May 2021. 

What is the update?

As part of the latest search update, Google will take into greater consideration on-page user experience when looking at organic ranking measurements. Google will do this by adding three new page experience signals called Core Web Vitals to its ranking metrics, the three Core Web Vital signals are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – this is measuring the loading performance or the time it takes a webpage to fully render its largest content
• First Input Delay (FID) – this is measuring site interactivity or the time it takes a website to respond when a user clicks or interactives with the page
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – this is measuring the visual stability of website content or ensuring that no content shifts, jumps around the page, or causes interference when visitors are trying to consume it

When is the update?

Google with be rolling out its search algorithm update in May 2021, to include Page Experience as a ranking factor but sites are advised to .

What does this mean for me?

Google does not always announce its updates, meaning this update is important enough to announce in advance, this suggests that there will likely be site penalties and ranking position shifts should you not prepare your website in line with the new ranking factors before they are rolled out.

This search algorithm update is rolling out to include the three Core Web Vitals, ensuring that site visitors will not be having a negative on-page experience. The three specific signals that are going to be in included in this update are being put in place to reduce poor page response times, poor page loading times, and on-page content interferences. Webpages that include any or all of these issues will be considered unfit to rank in top positions for relevant search terms due to causing a poor user experience.

Existing page experience search signals, as stated by Google are: mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS-security, and no intrusive interstitial guidelines (which evaluates unprompted pop ups and on-page adverts). The three new ‘Core Web Vitals’ search signals are in addition to the existing page experience search signals and all seven factors will be measured and considered from May 2021.

Improve your site performance

Get ready for Google’s Page Experience update

The main way to ensure your site is shipshape for Google’s Page Experience search update is with a complete site audit including a page experience review.

Tools such as Google Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools, Google Search Console, and Page Speed Insights can help with this audit and provide insights for both a complete site overview and a page by page review of technical improvements that need to be made in order to comply with Google’s search update and to provide a better user experience overall.

Not sure where to start when making your site search update ready? Boxed Red Marketing in Knutsford, near Manchester can help. Get in touch with us today, and we can provide more useful information, insights, tools, and support to improve and optimise your site for organic search.