Website Design
Core Web Vitals: Time To Take Page Experience Seriously
Google says Core Web Vitals will become ranking signals from May 2021. If your website doesn't pass muster, don't worry. We've got your back.
Google’s about to shake up its search results again.
It has announced that from May 2021, Core Web Vitals will become ranking factors.
Core Web Vitals help improve visitor page experience. We'll explain what both page experience and Core Web Vitals are shortly, but first, what does this mean for your website?
Well, that depends.
If Core Web Vitals are already part of your game play, and they should be, you are best placed to benefit from higher Google search rankings.
If your website isn't already singing from the Core Web Vitals hymn sheet, your website is probably underperforming in Google anyway. Expect it to take a further hit after May. Unless, of course, you do something about it and bring your website up to speed.
We're here to offer you a helping hand to do just that, if need be.
Page experience goes beyond the content or information value of a web page. It looks at a set of signals that measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page.
There are three Core Web Vitals that will become ranking factors from May 2021:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
a measure of page load speed
First Input Delay (FID)
a measure of how quickly a page responds
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
a measure of the visual stability of a page
All very technical, but essentially every second counts in ensuring a positive visitor experience. For example, Google research has found that when page load time goes from one second to three seconds, bounce rate increases by 32%.
Core Web Vitals are not the first page experience signals to become ranking factors.
With the majority of people now accessing the internet using mobile devices, it’s vital your website is mobile-friendly. Google now uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it predominantly uses the mobile version of a web page for indexing and ranking.
Your website also needs to be secure. As well as making sure all connections are secured by HTTPS, a site must not serve malicious or deceptive content. Out-of-date plugins for example, can make websites vulnerable to hackers who can target visitors to your website without you knowing.
Finally your content must be accessible. Pop-ups that cover content are now a no-no, for example, as is having to zoom in on a mobile device to read content.
Wondering how your current website stacks up? You can put it through one of Google’s basic tests: Page Insights.
It reports on the performance of a web page on both mobile and desktop devices.
A score of 90+ is ideal. 50-89 means your website needs work. 0-49 means your site needs urgent attention.
Just so you know, we only do 90+.
If you are already concerned by how your website performs in Google, we would be happy to take a look for you to see if it is page experience that is holding it back.
Just fill in the form on our Contact page to get the ball rolling.
Brandwise offers Web Design and other online marketing services to businesses and organisations in Edinburgh and throughout the Borders including in Galashiels, Hawick, Peebles, Kelso, Jedburgh, Melrose, Earlston, Coldstream and Eyemouth, as well as Carlisle and Berwick. We also provide our services to selected clients elsewhere in the UK.
Last updated: 3rd November 2020
It has announced that from May 2021, Core Web Vitals will become ranking factors.
Core Web Vitals help improve visitor page experience. We'll explain what both page experience and Core Web Vitals are shortly, but first, what does this mean for your website?
Well, that depends.
If Core Web Vitals are already part of your game play, and they should be, you are best placed to benefit from higher Google search rankings.
If your website isn't already singing from the Core Web Vitals hymn sheet, your website is probably underperforming in Google anyway. Expect it to take a further hit after May. Unless, of course, you do something about it and bring your website up to speed.
We're here to offer you a helping hand to do just that, if need be.
So, what is page experience?
Page experience goes beyond the content or information value of a web page. It looks at a set of signals that measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page.
What are Core Web Vitals?
There are three Core Web Vitals that will become ranking factors from May 2021:
a measure of page load speed
a measure of how quickly a page responds
a measure of the visual stability of a page
All very technical, but essentially every second counts in ensuring a positive visitor experience. For example, Google research has found that when page load time goes from one second to three seconds, bounce rate increases by 32%.
What other page experience signals does Google use to rank my website?
Core Web Vitals are not the first page experience signals to become ranking factors.
With the majority of people now accessing the internet using mobile devices, it’s vital your website is mobile-friendly. Google now uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it predominantly uses the mobile version of a web page for indexing and ranking.
Your website also needs to be secure. As well as making sure all connections are secured by HTTPS, a site must not serve malicious or deceptive content. Out-of-date plugins for example, can make websites vulnerable to hackers who can target visitors to your website without you knowing.
Finally your content must be accessible. Pop-ups that cover content are now a no-no, for example, as is having to zoom in on a mobile device to read content.
Room for improvement?
Wondering how your current website stacks up? You can put it through one of Google’s basic tests: Page Insights.
It reports on the performance of a web page on both mobile and desktop devices.
A score of 90+ is ideal. 50-89 means your website needs work. 0-49 means your site needs urgent attention.
Just so you know, we only do 90+.
If your website doesn't pass muster, don't worry. We've got your back.
If you are already concerned by how your website performs in Google, we would be happy to take a look for you to see if it is page experience that is holding it back.
Just fill in the form on our Contact page to get the ball rolling.
Brandwise offers Web Design and other online marketing services to businesses and organisations in Edinburgh and throughout the Borders including in Galashiels, Hawick, Peebles, Kelso, Jedburgh, Melrose, Earlston, Coldstream and Eyemouth, as well as Carlisle and Berwick. We also provide our services to selected clients elsewhere in the UK.
Last updated: 3rd November 2020
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