Google page experience update is now out completely and to desktop search results and Google has confirmed it as well. The rolling out of the update started on February 22, and concluded on March 3, making it a 9-day rollout process. On the other hand, the page experience update of Google for mobile took two and a half months. The impacts of this update are now accessible on the search ranking. This update will impact the rankings of the website positively or negatively on or after March 3. However, you can determine this impact by using Google’s tools to analyze your site’s page experience score.
What Is Page Experience Update for Desktop?
The Page Experience Update for Desktop has all of the signals that the mobile version of the update, except the need for mobile-friendliness. The 9-day long update came into being completely on March 3 and it requires you to consider every point included in the mobile update, except mobile-friendliness. You can compare it with the Page Experience Update for Desktop by considering the below-given factors:
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
• First Input Delay (FID)
• HTTPS Security
• Absence of Intrusive Interstitials
• Mobile Friendliness
These are the main factors that will be considered when ranking a website according to the new Google update.
What Does Page Experience Mean According to The Update?
The new update uses the metrics to understand how a user will perceive the experience of a specific web page. For instance, how fast a website loads, if the website is mobile-friendly or not, does it run on HTTPS, the presence of intrusive ads and several others. These are some important factors that make or break the experience of a user. Therefore, these factors are also included in the Google search ranking factor list. These factors ensure the speed, usability, safety and better experience of the users.
According to Google’s statement, “as we have said before, while this update is designed to highlight pages that offer great user experiences, page experience remains one of many factors our systems take into account. Given this, sites generally should not expect drastic changes. In addition, because we’re doing this as a gradual rollout, we will be able to monitor for any unexpected or unintended issues.”
It clearly states that the new update will not bring a drastic change to the page ranking on Google. However, it will influence the ranking factors to a certain extent. Its main focus is to enhance the experience of the users navigating through a Google webpage to get a piece of information.
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Factors Included in The New Update Page Experience
Above, we have seen the factors included in the new update. Check below to understand what are these factors and how they work:
1: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Largest Contentful Paint or LCP is an important and user-centric metric that measures the perceived loading speed. It marks the point in the page load timeline and depicts when the content of a webpage has likely loaded. If the LCP of a webpage is fast, it improves the user's experience of navigating through a webpage. Besides, it also tells that the page is helpful for them.
2: Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a crucial metric that measures the instability of a website. It shows if a website is behaving as per the expectations of the users or not. Sometimes, the content of the page shifts unexpectedly as you view it. It is just the tip of the iceberg. Things become even worse when the website shows unexpected behavior. It can ruin the experience of the webpage. If you want to maintain a good CLS score, keep it below 0.1. If it is more than that, your website needs improvements.
3: First Input Delay (FID)
First Input Delay or FID is a vital factor in the new page experience update of Google that defines the delay between when you first click or tap on a webpage and the time when the browser starts to process it. The instances of the user’s web interaction that comes under the FID must be discrete. For instance, zooming or scrolling the page can’t be measured using this metric as they don’t run on the browser’s main thread.
4: HTTPS Security
HTTPS security is a crucial part of the user’s experience as it ensures the safety of your web pages. It is an important communication protocol that protects the confidentiality and security of data between the website and the user’s PC. As a user, you want a secure online experience wherein, your privacy remains intact. HTTPS security metric ensures the same.
5: Absence of Intrusive Interstitials
Intrusive Interstitials and dialogues are the page elements that obstruct users from viewing a webpage content. They are often the promotional content. Interstitials are the overlays on the entire page. Besides, the dialogues are the overlays that cover a webpage partially. It makes the page unclear or more difficult to comprehend. In such a case, you need to create unintrusive dialogues that help users to access content without being interrupted by dialogue.
6: Mobile Friendliness
Since the new update is rolled for the desktop, mobile-friendliness is not a mandatory factor in the update. However, it is one of the most crucial factors in the mobile version of the page experience update.
Summing Up!
Since the new user experience update from Google has finally rolled out on March 3, people are hustling to know how it will affect their site ranking. This post explains the new update comprehensively. Stay connected for more useful updates.
