
The Google Page Experience update is here—and our comprehensive checklists will ensure you are fully prepared.
The rollout of the Google Page Experience update began on June 15, 2021, and is expected to be completed by the end of August. If you want to know exactly how to optimize your website for this major Google algorithm update, you have come to the right place!
The Google Page Experience update sets a high bar for a quality user experience on both mobile and desktop. Technical metrics, known as Core Web Vitals, along with four other Google page ranking signals, provide website owners with a clear roadmap for improving their site and their search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. This blog and the accompanying checklist will help you understand the fundamentals of Google's Core Web Vitals and the other Google ranking signals.
Google Page Experience combines Core Web Vitals with existing Google user experience signals: mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS, and no intrusive interstitials (pop-ups). The Google Page Experience update is expected to reward websites that provide a good user experience by giving them a ranking boost over their competitors.
The term user experience refers to every type of interaction your visitor or user has with your website. There is only one question more important than "what is user experience," and that is: What makes for a good website user experience? A good user experience ensures a seamless and pleasant browsing experience for your target audience.
If you are not prepared for the update, you should expect to lose ground in Google rankings. The best way to meet the requirements of this Google update is with responsive web design and technical SEO on your side. However, user experience ranking signals are not the only elements you need to consider if you want your website to be seen as UX-optimized and to maintain or even improve your position in search results. Existing ranking signals, such as page load speed, keyword relevance, strong backlinks, and high-quality page content, continue to play a very important role.
Google often rolls out algorithm updates with little to no warning, leaving SEO professionals in the dark. In this case, however, Google warned the SEO world more than a year before the update, which may be an indication of how significant the impact could be. This also shows how time-consuming it can be to prepare your pages for this update.
For virtually every aspect of your website that you need to optimize and measure, there is a Google performance test or status report. In the case of the Page Experience update, the Google Page Experience report combines the existing Core Web Vitals report with status updates on the other Google user experience signals.
The Google search algorithm update provides answers to two very important questions: What is user experience? And what does user experience look like in 2021? We can even rank user experience among the most significant SEO changes, such as the 2018 Google page speed update, when page speed became a ranking factor for mobile search. While adapting to these new Google algorithm updates may seem daunting, you have everything to gain by improving your technical SEO strategy.
According to various experts and top industry agencies, the entire optimization process will take you between 15 and 40 days. You cannot do everything at once, so you must set priorities. In general, we recommend focusing on the Google ranking signals where your website is currently performing the weakest.
Your website visitors should encounter a modern, fresh site before you even start worrying about your Google ranking for mobile devices. Google recommends using responsive web design rather than maintaining and optimizing a separate mobile website.
Every millisecond of delay in your site's loading speed or page load time has a negative impact on the user. You can rely on Page Speed Insights as a straightforward Google performance testing tool for website load times.
A mobile-friendly website and a high Page Speed Insight score are a good start, but you need to develop short- and long-term plans to meet constantly changing user experience standards, Google's page speed requirements, and more.
Don't forget: Google ranking signals and guidelines are always changing. For example, the Google page speed update had a significant impact on websites when it was first introduced in 2018. Today, however, it is clear how important Google's page speed standards have become—they are an inseparable part of SEO. The same will likely be true for the page experience update, as Google will continue to prioritize what is best for its users.
An experienced SEO agency from Switzerland is best equipped to help you evaluate your website, implement tools to measure Core Web Vitals, and create a plan to improve Core Web Vitals and other page experience ranking signals. There are sites like Designrush that specialize in Small Business SEO Companies & Services and can introduce you to a selection of top SEO agencies like ZUMO SEO.
ZUMO is a Swiss SEO & SEA agency that develops scientifically sound SEO & SEA strategies through data analysis and market research. We owe our success to a combination of technology and the expertise of our team, which delivers relevant results at an unparalleled speed. The satisfaction of our clients, whether large corporations or small businesses, is our top priority.
Get in touch with us today to schedule a free, no-obligation SEO consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!
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