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Page experience as a new ranking factor for Google

The importance of user experience on websites

Of course, website operators always strive to make their sites user-friendly in order to generate as many visitors as possible. Good usability enables users to find the information they need more quickly and therefore work more efficiently. The user experience has long been a major ranking factor for websites on Google, but from 2021 it will be given significantly more weight in Google's ranking algorithm. The recently published metrics on “Core Web Vitals” will be combined with the already known factors. Google's plan is as follows:

The ranking factors that determine how high a website appears in search results are updated by Google several times a year, including the introduction of the “Web Vitals” and “Core Web Vitals” initiative rolled out in May 2020. This initiative is designed to help webmasters check quality ranking signals in order to make the user experience on their websites quantifiable and identify areas for improvement. These include:

The three Google Core Web Vitals LCP, FID, and CLS and their respective benchmarks for evaluation.
The three Google Core Web Vitals LCP, FID, and CLS and their respective benchmarks for evaluation.
Analysis tools for Core Web Vitals: PageSpeed Insights, Chrome UX Reports, Search Console, Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse, Web Vitals Extension
Analysis tools for Core Web Vitals: PageSpeed Insights, Chrome UX Reports, Search Console, Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse, Web Vitals Extension
  • “Largest Contentful Paint” (LCP): This metric primarily describes the loading time of the website. Building on the already familiar metrics “Time to First Byte” (TTFB), i.e. the loading time until the first byte of the website is received, and “First Contentful Paint” (FCP), i.e. the time between the start of a website's loading time and the first content becoming visible, LCP adds the loading time until the main content of the website has loaded. Ideally, this should take less than 2.5 seconds.
  • “First Input Delay” (FID): This metric primarily concerns the interactivity of the website. It measures responsiveness and quantifies the user experience when they first try to interact with the website. Ideally, this should take less than 100 milliseconds.
  • “Cumulative Layout Shift” (CLS): This measures visual stability and quantifies the amount of unexpected shifts in the layout of the visible content of the website. An example of this is when a form slips while loading and the user clicks on the wrong button. The measured value should not exceed 0.1.

The following tools can be used to measure these metrics:

Combined with the current signals for page experience, namely “mobile friendly,” “safe browsing,” “HTTPS,” and “no intrusive interstitials,” Core Web Vitals further emphasize the measured page experience as a ranking factor. This will be introduced in 2021. However, Google will inform webmasters six months before the rollout.

Nevertheless, it is important to remember that page experience remains just one of many ranking factors and that the success and visibility of your website also depends on many other factors. Want to know what else you need to look out for? Then get in touch with us today! Our experience in the SEO jungle will help you significantly boost your website and, in turn, your business.

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