To be able to discuss the changes produced by this update within Google and its impact on web pages, it is important to explain the basics.
Page experience is a collection of indicators that analyze how users perceive their interactions with a web page on a smartphone or desktop. This aspect is analyzed beyond the informational content of that page.
It uses Core Web Vitals, a set of factors that analyze user experiences in terms of loading time, interactivity, and web page fluency. They also influence the SEO optimization part.
Changes Produced By Google Page Experience Update
Most sites should not notice drastic differences following this update, according to Google’s statements. Any sudden changes should be capped by the gradual implementation of the update. Before going into more detail about what this update entails, we want to explain the following notions:
How Does Page Experience Affect Ranking?
Although the page experience part is relevant for SEO, Google still aims to rank pages with the most relevant content as high as possible. This is even if the user experience is mediocre in some cases.
A positive experience of using the web page cannot replace relevant content. However, in the case of web pages with approximately equally relevant content, user page experience analysis becomes increasingly relevant to gain visibility in search engines.
Other Indicators Used In Analyzing Google Page Experience
Providing a pleasant user experience within Google Search also depends on these indicators:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP measures web page load time. For a more positive user experience, the LCP should be approximately 2.5 seconds to load.
First Input Delay (FID)
FID is an indicator of the effectiveness of interactivity within your page. More precisely, the reaction time of the site is analyzed from the moment of the user’s action (clicking on a button, accessing a section, subscribing to the newsletter, etc.) until the moment when the browser responds to that action. For best results, the FID should last less than 100 milliseconds.
What Does The Update Entail?
In November 2020, Google announced that page experience ranking changes were coming the following year, which happened in the summer of 2021. The page experience update also involves the aforementioned analytics indicators, such as Core Web Vitals metrics, LCP, and FID. In addition, the top stories carousel in Google Search has been optimized to include news that meets Google News standards.
This means that using the AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) format is no longer necessary for web pages. Moreover, regardless of the results of the Core Web Vitals metrics or the type of user experience, they can appear in the Top Stories carousel in Google Search.
As part of this update, Google expanded the use of non-AMP content and stopped displaying the specific badge. The ultimate goal is to highlight web pages with a positive user experience.
What is AMP?
The AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) format is an open-source framework in HTML. It was created by Google to compete with Apple News and Facebook Instant Articles. It is optimized for mobile web browsing and designed to load web pages faster.
The changes brought by the search engines can cause some confusion or problems managing the performance of the site, and the Google page experience update is only the tip of the iceberg. Social Prefix will ensure that your website works at optimal parameters.