Google’s previous page experience in August 2021 was a game-changer in ranking the website. It introduced new metrics to the algorithm, which determined the loading speeds and quality of content on mobile devices. However, despite being notified of these updates, many websites were not optimized in time resulting in poor traffic and loss of users. As a result, Google is rolling out new updates to its page experience in February and March of 2022 for desktop while introducing new tools to improve its ranking criteria. Following is all you need to know about preparing for the Google page experience in 2022.
Covered Topics
1. Core Vitals
These were introduced in the August 2021 update and will also be a major part of the new update. Following are the three core vitals;
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures a website’s time to load large images and content sections. The average time a website takes to load on a desktop is 10.3 seconds instead of Google’s approved 2-3 seconds. You can improve this website metric by increasing the speed of server response time, deferring unnecessary JavaScript, and optimizing heavy images.
- First Input Delay (FID): This is the response time of a website when any of its sections is clicked by the user. According to Google, the response time should be 100 milliseconds or less. To optimize this metric, you should use code-splitting to break extensive JavaScript. FID is mainly affected by JavaScript; therefore, optimizing it is the only way of improving this core vital.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): When you click any section of the website, usually an ad will pop up; this shifting of content is called CLS. Optimizing this metric is essential as it is directly related to user experience. You should reserve dedicated space for ads depending on historical data. The ideal CLS time is 0.1 seconds; therefore, optimize the size of ads accordingly.
You can use tools like Lighthouse, Google pageSpeed, etc. to determine LCP, FID, and CLS of your website. These tools can help your website increase traffic and refine the user experience. Optimize your website according to these metrics to avoid losing users and low ratings.
2. HTTPS Security:
HTTPS security is all about the user’s safety while browsing your website. Insecure connections and compromised content will negatively affect the rankings; therefore, install an SSL certificate to enhance the HTTPS security of your website. Making your website secure for the user is a defining metric in ranking your website; therefore, optimize it according to the guidelines of the new update to avoid loss of traffic.
3. Intrusive Interstitials
Anything that takes the user away from the original content is called intrusive interstitials. These can be anything from pop-ups to call-to-action buttons. Google introduced this metric in its mobile page experience of 2021, and it’s set to stay in the new update as well. All intrusive interstitials that negatively affect the user experience on your website should be removed. This will increase the traffic on the website and will also improve the ranking significantly.
Google’s page experience is all about enhancing the user experience on a website. So, optimize your website according to these new changes to avoid low traffic and ranking. If you’re looking to reach a Canadian audience, learn how to optimize website for canadian search results by implementing effective strategies and techniques.
