SEO Glossary
Search engine optimization is a dynamic field that continues to evolve with the changing landscape of the internet. As new algorithmic updates are released and user behavior changes with the...
While there’s an assortment of benefits to Google’s May 2021 SEO update, you may have noticed that the latest algorithm change has affected your page rankings. Since Google is now highlighting search results that possess great page experiences, your business needs to improve on signals such as page load times, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS setups, and more to ensure that you remain easy to spot on the search rankings. Here’s a breakdown of the 2021 SEO update along with some practical tips that you can take to stay on top.
Google will now evaluate website pages based on a set of signals—page loading times, the mobile-friendliness of the website, whether the site runs on HTTPS, if it has intrusive interstitials, and if content jumps between page loads. All of the above factors affect the page experience and are considered to be refining metrics that impact the website speed and usability for users. These refinements are referred to as Core Web Vitals.
Google’s Core Web Vitals are explained below:
If your website isn’t optimized for one or more of the above Core Web Vitals, we recommend that you speak with an experienced SEO Specialist to ensure that your efforts are making a positive impact on your organic search results.
Now that Google’s Page Experience update is live, you will notice that there are visual indicators in the search results informing searchers if specific websites offer great experiences. These visual indicators act as a reward to the websites that have taken the time to improve their page experiences leading to the update. Any business website that has met all of the Google Page Experience criteria will receive an indicator next to the snippet of context to show that they offer users quality web experiences.
If you haven’t prepared your website for the new ranking factors, it’s an excellent time to improve web performance in the following areas:
Do you possess all the fundamentals to receive Google’s visual indicator? If not, what efforts are on your upcoming to-do list?