2021 offers potential when it comes to ushering in a new year. What does this mean for businesses that have found their niche and created the perfect web experience? It’s going to change, at least for Google.
Google recently announced they have come up with a brand-new ranking algorithm that has been designed to judge web-pages concerning how a user perceives the experience. While it has always been advised by SEO experts to make sure the user experience for your site is dynamic, welcoming, and easy to use, how well your site stacks up in those regards is going to be used for site ranking purposes.
Core Web Vitals is the new set of metrics that are going to be used to rank pages. The Google page experience update could cause your pages not to rank as high as they are ranking now without a few modifications on your part. However, the update isn’t expected to be released until sometime in 2021. Thankfully, there is plenty of time to get ready and prepare.
You’ve Got the Heads Up Now
Google wanted to make sure that every business had the opportunity to make necessary changes so their ranking status stays exactly where they want them. They have already given a heads-up concerning the algorithm update and what the Google page experience entails. Are you wondering exactly how you can prepare for the update?
First, What Exactly Is the Google Page Experience?
In order to successfully update your website, it helps to know exactly what page experience is. Google has taken the time to provide a detailed developer document expressing the criteria. Basically, the metrics aim to figure out and understand how users feel about experiences on specific web pages. Considerations include how quickly a page loads, whether it’s mobile-friendly, if it runs on HTTPS, if the content jumps around while pages load, and whether there is an intrusive presence of ads.
Essentially, Google wants to see how usable your site is. The best way to do that is by measuring user experiences when it comes to interacting on a business’ web page. You can always optimize for those factors to make your site better and more delightful for users.
The overall idea is to assist websites in evolving for users across all web surfaces and browsers. Google believes this will only contribute to the success of businesses on the web by fully engaging users who are able to interact and transact with less frustration and trouble. Below are the existing search ranking refining metrics.
Existing Search Ranking Refining Metrics for the Google Page Experience Include:
- Page Speed Update
- Mobile-Friendly Update
- HTTPS Ranking Boost
- Safe Browsing Penalty
- Intrusive Interstitials Penalty
This Is What Google Doesn’t Want
Now that you have an idea of what Google does want, what is that they don’t want? The whole purpose of the Google Page Experience update is to ensure that websites ranking at the top of search engine lists are not guilty of creating a bad user experience. Think of it like this, a user-friendly site will typically rank much higher than a site that isn’t user-friendly, at least it should. Google is trying to rank sites offering better user experiences, higher. It may be a big shift in SEO, but it is a welcome shift.
Is the Google Page Experience Update Really Important?
Are you wondering how important the Google Page Experience update will be for your business? How important is customer satisfaction to your business? Both rank pretty high. By Google shifting ranking algorithms to focus on sites that users love and enjoy the most, they are aligning themselves with caring businesses that already have a focus on user experiences. They’re also encouraging other businesses to follow suit and improve their user experience in order to rank higher.
