Google’s Page Experience Update: Things You Need To Know
Google search results are becoming more focused on user experience (UX) with Google’s Page Experience Update.
Google always seems to find new ways to spot both good and bad websites. The latest update focuses on load times, pop ups, and poor visibility. All will now improve or hurt your search rankings.
Now is the time to update your website and to start optimizing integrating this strategy into your existing SEO. It’s an opportunity for you to boost organic ranking, traffic and business.
Google’s Page Experience Update wants you to have user friendly pages throughout your website. Hopefully, this is already part of your existing SEO. If it’s not already, it should be. Google rewards those who create a website that is easy to navigate, fast to load, and is accessible so those searching for what you offer without having to look elsewhere. Bounce rate may be also be factored in the update as it suggests it may discourage visitors. Starting with pages that have a high bounce rate is a good place to start your updates.
The 5 factors that Google has outlined that contribute to a website’s page experience are:
Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals is a webmaster’s guide of webite speed and performance. Both give visitors a good user experience. There are 3 signals that you should look for to measure website speed. It applies to all web pages and should be regularly measured:
– The time it takes for most of the main content of a page to load and become visible to the user including images, text, video and HTML.
– The responsiveness of the site. When a page loads, your user may click on a link or a drop-down menu and experience a delay before the browser actually executes the action. This metric measures the time taken from clicking to the browser executing that action.
– The visual stability and unexpected layout shifts. Your page loads, and click a link that you are looking at. But, instead the layout of the page moves the link down and it’s replaced by something else like an ad, which you actually click on in. You’re then redirected to an unrelated page.
Core Web Vitals should be adjusted based on what Google users consider a good experience. Google has said they will be adding new page experience signals every year to consistently align themselves with what users want.
Content and Page Experience?
Informative, engaging content that meets a user search query is still the key to successful SEO. Page experience is intended to make it easier to present your information and communicate it to users. Having good information and a good user experience are both are essential.
Improve Page Load Speed
Reduce your bounce rate by speeding up each page of your website. You may even have to change the design so it will load faster. Optimize images, and keep your CSS, JavaScript and HTML to a minimum. Run a speed test on Google Search Console to see how you’re doing.
How You Use Ads and Images
All elements of your page must add value and not detract from the information users want to see. Keep pop-ups to a minimum.
Optimize Your Site for Mobile
Use Google’s mobile friendliness test to see where you can improve your site for mobile.
Make Your Site More Secure
If you don’t have one already, get an SSL certificate for your website and switch to https://. Also, make sure that the lock is on your url when you go to your website. It relays more credibility and security. Most hosting companies offer free SSL certificates, and will help add it to your site.
Get a Security Report
Generate a security report with your Google Search Console. This will help you avoid malicious content including clickbait.
Compare Your Website with Your Competitors
Research your search competition and see how their experience compares to yours.
Need SEO guidance? S2R Studios can help set you up for success and an optimal website visitor experience. Call us to get started.