Google has continuously told us that one of their main goals has always been to improve the experience of its users searching for information. The problem with these updates is that it’s usually vague without clear next steps.
This time things are different, Google published a new Page Experience update that’s launching May 2021, and these algorithm changes will start changing the way you and I browse the internet.
The reason that these changes are incredibly important, is that it’s the first time ever that Google has pushed user experience to rank over standard signals. If your site is easier to navigate, faster and well designed, you have a massive leg up.
Read the TLDR version here;
- Everything you need to know about the new Google Page Experience update
- New opportunities in SEO
- How we’re tackling this Search Algorithm update
Everything you need to know about the Google Page Experience Update.
The new update to the search algorithm covers the release of what google calls “3 Core Web Vitals” which are new signals that help Google understand a better user experience. The objective of introducing these signals is to ensure that search engines give priority to web pages that are easier, faster and have a better user experience.
Load speed – “How long does it take to load your webpage”
It’s simple and straightforward from a user perspective, we’re not fans of slow loading websites. This is measured through a metric known as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
Interactivity – “It’s like measuring the time from ringing someone’s doorbell to them answering the door.”
Websites that are more than just content tend to provide value and engage users. However, that interaction needs to be slick, seamless and make users want to stay on the site. This signal “FID” or “First Input Delay” helps Google identify when a user first interacts with your site (i.e. when they click a link, tap on a button, or use a custom, JavaScript-powered control) to the time the browser is actually able to respond to that interaction.
Visual Stability – Is your site well designed across different devices, instances and interactions?
The Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) helps users understand the level of complexity and adaptability of a website’s design. If too many things move around that mess with a user’s experience, you’ll get scored negatively.
Overall Page experience
As important as the core vitals are, being a website that’s mobile friendly (or mobile first), safe, secure and simple will be the cornerstone of the new search ranking algorithm.
If you want to optimize your website experience on your own, all you need to do is use the Google recommended toolkits to understand where you sit.
- Lighthouse Report – Lighthouse is an automated website auditing tool that helps developers diagnose issues and identify opportunities to improve the user experience of their sites.
- PageSpeed Insights – PageSpeed Insights (PSI) reports on lab and field performance of a page on both mobile and desktop devices.
- Search Console – Search Console tools and reports help you measure your site’s Search traffic and performance, fix issues, and make your site shine in Google Search results.
- AMP – A cost-effective and simple solution for publishers to create a great page experience.
New opportunities in SEO
The changes to Google’s new search engine update means that there is an incredible opportunity for those that are looking to gain an edge. SEO is a competitive landscape but it’s not necessarily something that people understand quite well.
Businesses that invest on their digital marketing and web-presence don’t always invest for the long-haul nor do they understand that this isn’t a one off activity.
Majority of your competitors most likely will not be ready to take on this new challenge in user experience coming our way. This creates an opportunity for a wave of new businesses to rank #01 for keywords that were unobtainable or incredibly competitive.
How we’re tackling the Search Algorithm Update
We’ve been busy re-working the websites of our clients (as well as our own) to be able to ensure an incredible experience for you, our readers.
The optimization work that we’ve done has now allowed us to;
- Build better, faster experiences for our readers.
- Help our clients rebuild their entire digital platforms.
- Learn through these experiences, to launch websites faster.
- Build automated systems that help generate leads and customers.
- Improve overall website profitability.
Technical improvements aren’t rocket science, you can very well do it yourself. We’re here to lend a helping hand if you’d rather focus on growing your business without stressing about why your competitors are outranking you in keywords that are important to you.
Our digital strategy exercises now take these ranking signals of you, and your competitors, into account to build digital platforms that can not only help you get ahead, but stay ahead of your competition.
Schedule a call with our experts for free to see how Surge can help you drive profitable growth.
