The new and improved page experience ranking for Google search is set to roll out in May 2021. This blog covers what the buzz is about.
Google has introduced a new set of parameters – the ‘Core Web Vitals’ that will measure users’ experience ‘with speed, responsiveness, and visual stability of a webpage.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This considers the loading time of the largest graphic element on the screen, i.e. Largest Contentful Paint. Such content can also be the main content of the website, so once the vital information is loaded, smaller elements follow. The ideal LCP is set at 2.5 seconds
- First Input Delay: is the time taken by the page to become interactive, i.e. the response time of the page after the user initiates an action. The ideal FID is said to be less than 100ms.
- Cumulative Layout Shift: measures the visual stability of the website. It focuses on the time taken for all the elements of the website to become stable. The ideal CFS is less than 100ms.
The Core Web Vitals will now be an intrinsic part of measuring the page performance, along with these factors-
- Mobile responsiveness
- Safe browsing
- HTTPS security
- Intrusive interstitial guidelines
New labels for search results
Google is contemplating adding labels in the search results, highlighting the pages that offer a better user experience. The current focus is on visual indicators that identify pages that met the predefined page experience criteria.
However, this is still under the testing phase and the final call will be taken by Google in May 2021 based on the success of the tests. Google is staunchly recommending AMP to optimize the page experience signal.
Top stories courses for non-AMP content
There was another announcement as well which said that non-AMP will soon be eligible for appearance in the Top Stories.
The pages fulfilling the Google News content policies will have greater chances for Top stories carousel and greater user experience will be given priority in ranking.
Our Recommendation
These updates will have an impact on your website’s traffic, therefore, we advise you to begin with the due diligence. You can check your Core Web Vitals stats here:
And in case you wish to talk more about the updates or need experts to handle the optimizations for your website, feel free to contact us here.
