Introduction
In June 2021, Google rolled out the Page Experience Update, a major algorithm change designed to provide users with a better overall experience when visiting websites. This update expanded the importance of user experience (UX) in search rankings, making it a more prominent ranking factor. It built upon the foundation of the Core Web Vitals update (2020), which had already incorporated user experience signals like page speed, interactivity, and visual stability. The Page Experience update added additional signals to help Google assess the overall quality of a webpage’s user experience.
What is the Page Experience Update?
The Page Experience Update combined a series of signals to create a more comprehensive understanding of how users experience a page. These signals fall into three main categories:
- Core Web Vitals
- These include metrics like LCP, FID, and CLS that evaluate page speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Websites that perform well on these metrics are more likely to be ranked higher in search results.
- Mobile-Friendliness
- As more users browse the web on mobile devices, Google prioritized mobile optimization. Pages that are not optimized for mobile (i.e., pages that don’t have responsive design, take too long to load, or have poor mobile usability) are likely to experience ranking drops.
- HTTPS Security
- Websites that use HTTPS encryption instead of HTTP are considered more secure. HTTPS ensures that the communication between users and the site is encrypted, providing safety for visitors and promoting trust. Google made this an important ranking factor.
- Intrusive Interstitials
- Google sought to penalize websites with intrusive pop-ups or interstitials that hinder a user’s ability to interact with the content immediately upon landing on the page. These are particularly disruptive on mobile devices. Pop-ups that cover content, especially when they block access to important information, negatively impact the page experience.
Why Page Experience Matters for SEO
The Page Experience Update was part of Google’s ongoing effort to prioritize user experience in its search rankings. As more and more users interact with websites across a range of devices, ensuring that they have an enjoyable, fast, and seamless experience is crucial. This update shows that content quality alone isn’t enough for ranking success — how users interact with your website is now a critical ranking signal.
- Improved User Satisfaction
- Google recognizes that users want to visit websites that are easy to navigate, load quickly, and provide relevant information in a user-friendly way. The Page Experience Update ensures that websites offering a better UX are rewarded with higher visibility.
- Enhanced Mobile Experience
- With mobile-first indexing, Google emphasizes the need for websites to be fully optimized for mobile. The Page Experience Update ensures that mobile users have the same quality experience as desktop users.
- Relevance to Search Queries
- While content relevance still holds the most weight in search rankings, Google aims to provide users with an experience that is not only informative but also engaging and pleasant. Websites that offer both valuable content and a positive user experience will see improvements in rankings.
How Page Experience Update Affects SEO
- Winners:
- Websites with fast loading times, mobile optimization, and secure HTTPS connections.
- Pages that have minimal intrusive ads or pop-ups, allowing users to interact with the content without interference.
- Websites that provide an excellent mobile experience with a responsive design and fast load times.
- Losers:
- Websites that are slow to load, have poor interactivity, or experience visual stability issues.
- Pages that use intrusive interstitials or pop-ups that block users from viewing content.
- Sites that don’t use HTTPS, compromising user security and trust.
How to Optimize for the Page Experience Update
- Improve Core Web Vitals
- LCP: Focus on reducing server response times, optimizing images, and using efficient JavaScript.
- FID: Minimize JavaScript execution time, defer non-critical scripts, and improve server responsiveness.
- CLS: Prevent layout shifts by setting size for images and embedding ads that are stable during loading.
- Optimize for Mobile
- Ensure your website is mobile-friendly by using responsive design, optimizing for touchscreens, and improving mobile load speed.
- Google recommends that your website should offer a seamless experience on mobile, with content that is easy to read and navigate without zooming or scrolling horizontally.
- Implement HTTPS
- Switch your website to HTTPS if it’s not already. This will not only help with your search rankings but also enhance trust and security for your users.
- Eliminate Intrusive Interstitials
- Avoid using pop-ups or interstitials that cover content, particularly when users first land on your page. Make sure any ads or pop-ups are non-intrusive and easy to dismiss.
- Focus on delivering content first and allow users to navigate without interruption.
Impact of the Page Experience Update on Website Ranking
Google’s Page Experience Update didn’t completely replace traditional ranking factors (like content quality and backlinks), but it introduced a new layer of SEO that is vital for webmasters to understand. Websites that perform poorly on Core Web Vitals and offer a bad user experience may see lower rankings, while sites that focus on creating fast, mobile-friendly, and engaging pages will benefit from higher rankings.
For E-commerce sites and businesses with mobile-centric customers, ensuring a good page experience is critical for retaining users, improving conversion rates, and staying competitive in search results. In fact, many SEO experts believe that with Google’s emphasis on mobile-first indexing, improving the page experience is now essential for long-term SEO success.
Conclusion
The Page Experience Update marked a turning point in SEO by introducing user experience as an official ranking factor. Websites now need to prioritize Core Web Vitals, mobile optimization, security, and user-friendly design to rank well. While content remains crucial, a great user experience can no longer be ignored if you want to achieve optimal search performance.
