Google’s Page Experience update, set to roll out in May 2021, will change the way the search engine evaluates and ranks web pages. The update will place a greater emphasis on the user experience when determining a page’s search ranking. In order to optimize for this update, it is important to understand the metrics that Google will be using to evaluate page experience and take steps to improve them.
The first step in optimizing for the Page Experience update is to understand the metrics that Google will be using to evaluate page experience. These metrics include:
- Core Web Vitals: These metrics include loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Google will be using these metrics to evaluate how quickly a page loads and how stable it is while loading.
- Mobile-friendliness: Google will be looking at how well a page is optimized for mobile devices. This includes things like font size, button size, and overall layout.
- Safe browsing: Google will be looking for any security issues on a website, such as malware or phishing.
- HTTPS: Google will be giving preference to websites that use HTTPS over HTTP.
- No intrusive interstitials: Google will be penalizing websites that use pop-ups or other intrusive interstitials that make it difficult for users to access the content on a page.
Once you understand these metrics, the next step is to take action to improve them. Here are some tips for optimizing your website for the Page Experience update:
- Improve loading speed: One of the most important metrics for page experience is loading speed. You can improve your loading speed by optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
- Make your website mobile-friendly: With more and more people using mobile devices to access the internet, it’s important to make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. This includes using a responsive design, making sure buttons and fonts are large enough to be easily tapped, and ensuring that your website is easy to navigate on a small screen.
- Keep your website safe: Make sure your website is free of malware and phishing attempts by regularly scanning it for security issues and taking steps to fix any issues that are found.
- Switch to HTTPS: HTTPS is a more secure version of HTTP and Google has stated that it will give preference to websites that use HTTPS.
- Avoid intrusive interstitials: Google will penalize websites that use pop-ups or other intrusive interstitials that make it difficult for users to access the content on a page. Instead, use less intrusive forms of advertising and make sure that they are clearly labeled as such.
- Optimize your images: Large, high-resolution images can slow down your website’s loading speed. Optimize your images by compressing them and using the appropriate image file format (such as JPEG or PNG).
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN can help to improve your website’s loading speed by distributing the load of delivering content across multiple servers.
- Minify CSS and JavaScript: Minifying your CSS and JavaScript can help to improve your website’s loading speed by reducing the amount of code that needs to be loaded.
- Monitor your website’s performance: Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor your website’s performance and identify any areas that need improvement.
- Use browser caching: Browser caching allows your website’s resources to be stored locally on a user’s device, reducing the amount of data that needs to be loaded each time they visit your website.
- Use lazy loading: Lazy loading is a technique that loads images
- only when they are in the viewport, rather than loading them all at once. This can significantly improve the loading speed of your website, especially on pages with many images.
In conclusion, the Page Experience update is a significant change in the way Google ranks web pages, putting a greater emphasis on user experience. By understanding the metrics that Google will be using to evaluate page experience and taking steps to improve them, you can optimize your website for the Page Experience update and improve your search rankings. It’s important to note that these changes are not only for SEO purposes but also for the betterment of user experience, so it’s a win-win situation for both parties. With the above-mentioned tips and best practices, you can ensure that your website is ready for the Page Experience update and continues to perform well in search results.
In addition to the tips provided above, there are a few other things that you can do to optimize your website for the Page Experience update:
- Use a fast hosting service: Your website’s hosting service plays a critical role in its loading speed. Make sure that you are using a fast and reliable hosting service that can handle the traffic to your website.
- Optimize your code: Make sure that your code is clean and well-structured, as this can help to improve your website’s loading speed and stability.
- Use a Content Management System (CMS) that is optimized for performance: A CMS like WordPress or Joomla can make it easy to create and manage a website, but it’s important to use a version that is optimized for performance.
- Use browser extensions and tools to test your website’s performance: There are a number of browser extensions and tools available that can help you test your website’s performance and identify areas that need improvement. Some popular options include Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse.
- Use Google Search Console to monitor your website’s performance: Google Search Console is a free tool that provides data and insights about your website’s performance. Use it to monitor your website’s performance and identify areas that need improvement.
- Monitor your website’s uptime: Uptime is the amount of time that your website is available and accessible to users. Use a monitoring service like Uptime Robot to monitor your website’s uptime and be alerted if your website goes down.
- Use schema markup: Schema markup is a way to provide additional information about your website to search engines. By using schema markup, you can help search engines understand the content on your website and improve its visibility in search results.
- Use Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP): AMP is a technology that allows you to create fast-loading, mobile-friendly versions of your web pages. By using AMP, you can improve your website’s performance on mobile devices and improve its visibility in search results.
- Monitor your website’s backlinks: Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. By monitoring your website’s backlinks, you can identify any low-quality or spammy links that might be hurting your website’s performance.
By following these tips and best practices, you can optimize your website for the Page Experience update and ensure that it continues to perform well in search results. Remember to focus on the user experience and to keep monitoring and testing your website’s performance to spot areas for improvement. With the Page Experience update, Google is rewarding websites that provide a great user experience, so it’s essential to keep your website updated and optimized.
Another important aspect to consider when optimizing for the Page Experience update is website accessibility. Website accessibility refers to the design and development of a website to make it usable for people with disabilities. This includes users who are blind, have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, or have mobility impairments.
Here are some tips to ensure your website is accessible:
- Use semantic HTML: Semantic HTML is the use of HTML tags to describe the meaning of the content they contain. This allows screen readers and other assistive technologies to understand the content on your website.
- Provide text alternatives for non-text content: This includes providing alternative text for images, videos, and other non-text content. This allows users who are visually impaired to understand the content on your website.
- Use ARIA roles: ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles are used to describe the purpose of elements on a web page. This allows screen readers and other assistive technologies to understand the structure and purpose of the content on your website.
- Provide closed captions for videos: Closed captions allow users who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand the audio content on your website.
- Use clear and simple language: Keep your language clear and simple so that users with cognitive disabilities can understand the content on your website.
- Provide keyboard navigation: Keyboard navigation allows users who are unable to use a mouse to navigate your website.
- Use high-contrast colors: High-contrast colors make it easier for users with low vision to read the text on your website.
- Test your website for accessibility: Use tools like WAVE and aXe to test your website for accessibility issues and identify areas that need improvement.
By ensuring your website is accessible, you can improve the user experience for all visitors to your website, including those with disabilities. It will also make your website comply with laws and regulations like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
In summary, Google’s Page Experience update is an important change in the way the search engine evaluates and ranks web pages. By understanding the metrics that Google will be using to evaluate page experience and taking steps to improve them, you can optimize your website for the Page Experience update and improve your search rankings. Additionally, it’s important to focus on user experience and accessibility to ensure that your website is usable for all visitors, including those with disabilities. With these steps and best practices in mind, you can ensure that your website is ready for the Page Experience update and continues to perform well in search results.
Another important aspect to consider when optimizing for the Page Experience update is website localization. Website localization refers to the process of adapting a website to the language and cultural norms of a specific country or region. This includes translating the content of the website, as well as adapting the design and layout to meet the expectations of users in that region.
Here are some tips to ensure your website is localized:
- Translate your website’s content: Translate the content of your website into the languages of the regions where you want to target. Make sure to use professional translators to ensure accurate and idiomatic translations.
- Adapt your website’s layout and design: Adapt the layout and design of your website to meet the expectations of users in the target region. This includes things like using the right units of measurement and date format.
- Use the right currency and payment options: Use the currency and payment options that are most commonly used in the target region.
- Use the right time zone: Use the time zone that corresponds to the target region.
- Use regional social media platforms: Use regional social media platforms to promote your website in the target region.
- Optimize your website for regional search engines: Optimize your website for regional search engines, such as Baidu in China or Yandex in Russia.
- Monitor your website’s performance: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor your website’s performance in the target region and identify areas that need improvement.
By ensuring your website is localized, you can improve the user experience for visitors from specific regions and increase the chances of your website being found by users in those regions. Additionally, it makes your brand more relatable, credible and accessible to those target markets.
In summary, Google’s Page Experience update is an important change in the way the search engine evaluates and ranks web pages. By understanding the metrics that Google will be using to evaluate page experience and taking steps to improve them, you can optimize your website for the Page Experience update and improve your search rankings. Additionally, it’s important to focus on user experience, accessibility and localization to ensure that your website is usable for all visitors, including those with disabilities and those from specific regions. By implementing these steps and best practices, you can ensure that your website is ready for the Page Experience update and continues to perform well in search results.