As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it's important for businesses to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the latest changes in online marketing. One such change that has been making waves recently is the age experience update, a major algorithmic update from Google that prioritizes user experience as a ranking factor.
For businesses in Houston, SEO service providers are offering valuable guidance and support in preparing for this update and optimizing their websites for improved user experience. In this article, we'll delve into the basics of the page experience update and discuss how partnering with a Houston SEO service can help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure your website is optimized for success.
What is the Page Experience Update?
Google is planning to update its ranking algorithm starting from June through August 2021, called the "page experience update". This update will prioritize pages that are optimized for mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS security, and other factors to improve user experience. Besides the existing search ranking factors, Google will now have a set of page experience signals to assess each page on its website.
What are Core Web Vitals?
The three main factors that affect how fast a web page loads are LCP, FID, and CLS. These factors are known as the Core Web Vitals.
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
This metric is used to measure the speed at which the primary content on a page is loaded. To identify the main component of a page, it considers the following aspects:
- elements.
- elements inside an element.
- elements.
- The background image of an element is loaded using the url() function.
Google intentionally kept this list short to begin with, aiming for simplicity. The metric assesses the largest element on the page and measures its loading speed compared to the overall start time of the page's loading process.
2. First Input Delay (FID)
The purpose of this feature is to determine the time delay between a user's action on a page (such as clicking a link) and the website's ability to start processing that action.
This metric is particular and pertains solely following:
- The user's initial input; subsequent events are not taken into account.
- Not the actual processing time of the event, but the delay in processing it.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Having a website that offers a seamless user experience is critical, especially when searching for "SEO services Houston" on a search engine. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a vital factor that can affect user experience. CLS measures how much the page's layout changes while it loads, and it can cause annoyance for users who accidentally click on the wrong link or button when they're trying to click on something specific.
To provide a better user experience, businesses offering SEO services in Houston should aim for their clients' websites to have a low CLS score. This score is calculated by multiplying the impact fraction and distance fraction of a frame.
What are 7 Page Experience Signals
There are 7 signals Google uses to evaluate the experience of a webpage: LCP, FID, CLS, Mobile-friendly, Safe-browsing, HTTPS, No intrusive interstitials.
1. LCP
(Largest Contentful Paint):
This signal measures how quickly a page's main content element appears on the visible viewport.
2. FID (First Input Delay)
This signal measures interactivity delays, and how fast users can actually use the page.
3. CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
This signal measures the visual stability of a page, ensuring that users aren't surprised by sudden shifts in the layout while they are looking at it.
4. Mobile-friendly
Mobile-friendly pages are designed to look and function well on mobile devices. They can adapt to specific characteristics of the device, such as the screen resolution, making them easy to read and interact with without requiring zooming or scrolling sideways.
5. Safe-browsing
Pages that have safe-browsing status are not malicious or deceptive. Malicious content is hazardous for the user to engage with, like malware. Deceptive content aims to manipulate users into taking risky actions, such as revealing personal and identifiable information to an unreliable source.
6. HTTPS
This website uses the more secure HTTPS protocol instead of HTTP. Nowadays, it's recommended for all websites to use HTTPS. If your website is not using HTTPS, you can refer to a guide for updating it.
7. No Intrusive Interstitials
Webpages sometimes display interstitials before or after the content loads, which can make it difficult for users to access the content. Interstitials can appear in various forms, such as pop-ups that cover the content (which may not be ads), boxes that need to be dismissed, and others.
Steps to Get Ready for the Upcoming Page Experience Update
To prepare for the page experience update rollout, here are a few actions you can take as provided by the Houston SEO company.
1. Verify all the 7 page experience signals
Before the update, review the 7-page experience signals for any problems and fix them. Also, ensure that they are optimized.
2. Assess the suitability of both AMP and non-AMP content for news carousels
If you're currently using AMP and are satisfied with its performance, there's no need to switch to another tool. AMP effectively helps you meet all the page experience standards. However, it's always advisable to review your content to ensure it meets the required page experience signals. The AMP Experience Guide can guide you through the assessment process.
3. Ensure that all of your content is of high quality
Content quality is essential when it comes to the page experience update. Content should be written in a clear, concise format and should be free of grammar mistakes. Additionally, ensure that each piece of content you provide is free of any errors or typos and provides value to readers.
Conclusion
The page experience update is an important step in improving the user experience on webpages. As a seo company houston, it's advisable to take steps now and make sure your content meets the standards set by Google. Doing this will help you rank higher in search engine results, resulting in more visibility for your business. By following the above-mentioned steps and taking advantage of the Houston SEO services, you can quickly get your website ready for the upcoming page experience update.
