If you’ve heard about the new Google Page Experience update, you might be wondering if it’ll affect the online presence of your business. The short answer is that it definitely will because it adds another metric for Google to rate your pages.
Page experience is a metric that Google has already spent plenty of development time on. There is even a statistics page demonstrating how important it is to retain customers on your business’ website.
With all this in mind, Google updates to page experience aren’t only important. They are crucial. As we continue, we will find out the exact workings of the update and why you must understand it.
Current Functions of Google Page Experience
We’ll do a quick recap first for anybody that doesn’t know the ins and outs of the way Google Page Experience is calculated.
The system gives some thought to security and mobile-friendliness, but the key part is what Google calls the “Core Web Vitals.”
These vitals measure three things.
First up is the layout. Having the prettiest page isn’t a necessity, but making sure that it’s stable is.
Next is how fast the page loads. Google likes to see a fully-understandable page within around 2.5 seconds.
The final instrument of measure that the web vitals uses is interactivity. This doesn’t mean having a host of clickable gimmicks, it means the page should react quickly. The latency between a click and a response should be 100 milliseconds or less.
Impact of the Page Experience Update
Once upon a time, all of these page experience measurements were only for mobile devices. If it was typical that the majority of your traffic was from desktop users, your page would have been safe from a poor rating.
With Google’s new update, all of those stringent requirements now also extend to desktops. This update means that everybody needs to have pages operating with buttery-smooth efficiency.
It doesn’t matter what kind of product you’re offering, this update affects everybody. You might be selling jewelry, or offering home services to customers looking for plumbing or HVAC repairs.
The requirements and the update might seem like a hassle, but their importance extends beyond Google’s rankings. For example, if you’re offering your services to homeowners, you want them to be able to navigate your site with ease.
A better user experience almost guarantees a higher likelihood of hiring you or purchasing a product. On top of that, a poor Google Page Experience score could damage your SEO.
Bring Your Pages up to Code
With all of that in mind, what’s the best way to bring your pages in line with the new page experience update?
Getting a simple website up and running to offer your skillset, whether you be a plumber, an electrician, or a general handyman, is one thing. Managing to optimize it to meet the standard of everything we’ve discussed is another.
The best way to get things up to snuff is to hire people that specialize in this kind of thing. Not just a web developer, but somebody that has a mind to help you improve the experience your site offers.
You’ll also want somebody onboard that understands how best to use the new Google search console for analytics and traffic improvement.
If you want to be optimal, consider Optic Marketing Group. You can contact us here to find out exactly how we can help craft a site for you with modern standards.