Google is always looking out for the internet user and aims to provide him with the best browsing experience possible. This means it is looking for webpages, content, and solutions that will fit the user’s needs. Predominantly this is the reason that Google issues frequent algorithm updates. Google uses them to asses the pages and their value to the user using this knowledge to rank and assign SERP positions to websites. Although there are many factors and ways to rank better, in 2021 Google issued an update directly dealing with user experience. All updates including this one influence a change in SEO and SEO strategies. So, it is clear that we should see just how page experience affects your website’s Google SEO.
Understanding the topic at hand
Well as already stated, the user experience has always been Google’s focus. However, this update, it is making their UX one of the direct factors for ranking. This basically means that there is a user experience score that your website earns based on how optimal the user experience is. This score directly influences your webpage rank and position in SERP.
What this in turn means is that SEO professionals need to take steps to improve user experience due to this update. Only with certain adaptations, websites today can hope to retain their previous rank and position. The conclusion is that this update and user experience are considerably influencing SEO efforts.
With this in mind, understanding how Google assesses the user experience is of critical importance. This is the base for any enhancements and changes that should allow you to achieve higher-ranking results. So, once you understand how it works you can make the necessary changes to our website to achieve your goals. In short, understanding how page experience affects your website’s Google SEO is critical to getting results.
What does Google asses here?
Simply put Google tries to calculate the quality of a website based on its user experience. This means that it incorporates and assesses a couple of factors including:
- Core web vitals
- Mobile-friendliness
- Safety
- HTTPS and
- ad experience.
All of these factors somehow lean on the technical aspect of SEO. Therefore some of them were already the focus of good SEO experts and companies. However, it is good to note that ranking a website is still not possible without good content. The content is still the base on which user experience can be built as a ranking factor.
Core Web Vitals
These are the metrics that are user oriented and strive to measure the experience user has when interacting with a webpage. Basically, it assesses how user-friendly the page is. To do so it incorporates a couple of other metrics. The key ones are Loading time, Interactivity of a page, and visual stability. The performance of the site is here in focus. With Core Web Vitals Google aims to get a holistic view of a website and its performance.
Mobile-friendliness
With more and more people interacting with websites on the go mobile friendliness came into focus with Google. First, this UX update was centered on the mobile versions of webpages but now the scope is wider. The aim here is to provide a seamless mobile experience and full user satisfaction on the go. Webpages without adequate mobile versions cant rank high today.
Safety
Safety is always a concern so safety is important. Basically, Google here evaluates if it is safe for users to use the webpage. The main concern is with the protection from malware and other malicious software.
HTTPS
Incorporating an HTTPS protocol is crucial now. It is designed to provide protection and privacy for the user which is of paramount importance.
Ad experience
Adds that are intrusive are not a good thing and can’t get you ranked high with this update. Any ad that covers the content or distracts you from the content at hand is intrusive and annoying. With this update, Google particularly aims to remove this issue influencing the user experience.
What can you do?
It is clear that to stay on the desired path and rank high you have to adapt your SEO effort. Understanding the UX and its ranking factors is the first step. So let’s see how to optimize your SEO to respond to this update.
- Stay on top of Core Web Vitals
- Be mobile friendly
- Fix the security issues
Monitor Core Web Vitals
This metric is the backbone of this update and the user experience. Today, speed, visual aspects and interactivity play a crucial role in UX. So, assessing and evaluating your score is important. You can use Google console to keep track of these metrics. Also, try to asses every webpage and see if the scores are unsatisfactory. this will be the key to making changes that will improve user experience.
Mobile friendly
Mobile friendliness is crucial today in a world that is always on the go. Internet usage and predictions show the need for more and more mobile-friendly websites for people on the go. Make sure to make a smooth working and stable website for mobile pčatforms. Make sure that there is no difference between the mobile and desktop versions. Also, ensure that the functionality and interactivity are intact. Finally, make sure ads display properly without making it difficult to get to the content of a webpage.
Privacy and security
As these aspects of any online experience are crucial make sure that you are on the level. Google won’t rank a page that is unsafe for the user. So make sure that your HTTPS protocols are in place and that you have SSL certificates. Identify and fix any security flaws. Also fix broken pages, secure payment getaways, and speed up the interaction with the user.
It is clear that you must always be on top of Googles algorithm updates. Knowing what they are and what to do is crucial for your ranking. This also means that you must know about the newest updates. In this case, knowing how page experience affects your website’s Google SEO is one of the most important things. So, be sure to follow and try to stay on top of any future changes Google makes.