New Google Algorithm Update

Every once in a while, Google updates its algorithm. What does that mean exactly? Well, the algorithm plays a large factor in where pages rank when searching on Google. And for better or for worse, Google has a stranglehold on searches. We all say, "let me Google that," when we all mean to simply look something up. Truly the Kleenex of internet search engines.

At MSEDP, we offer professional SEO services to help navigate these murky waters. Because we understand that it may be difficult on your own to understand what needs to happen for these periodic updates. This new update, recently announced by Google, is called the Google Page Experience update. It will judge web pages based on how user perceive their experience interacting on the page. So if Google thinks people who come to your website will have a poor experience, then you may not rank as high anymore.

What is Page Experience?

There is a whole page Google shares that states the criteria for effective page experience. In short, the metrics for the page experience aim to understand how users will perceive the experience of any given page on your website. For example, whether or not the page loads quickly, if the page is mobile friendly, is it a secure HTTPS site, are there too many ads, and if the content moves around during the loading. So refining these aspects can help keep your page rankings where they are or they can even improve if you follow these guidelines well enough.

New Algorithm Factors

As mentioned, there are numerous new factors that are being considered in this algorithm update. Let's take a quick look at all of the factors that will play a larger role in search engine rankings than before. These are the main factors that Google uses to determine the overall page experience.

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This factor measures loading performance. In order to provide a good user experience, you website should strive to have LCP occur within the first 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load.
• First Input Delay (FID): First Input Delay will measure interactivity of a given website. For effective user page experience, Google recommends sites having an FID of less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This measures visual stability. What it looks for is if he page is stable when it loads. For example, do images, content, or buttons move around the page as it loads or does it stay stable. If the layout of the page shifts, then you have poor user experience. For websites that want a good user experience, the site should aim for a CLS score of less than 0.1.
• Mobile-Friendly: This is simply whether or not you website is mobile-friendly.
• Safe Browsing: Your website should not contain any malicious content, malware or deceptive content. Having a safe and secure website is crucial to someone wanting to be on the website.
• An HTTPS Secure Website: Speaking of security, every website now needs to have an HTTPS server connection. Again, this is a step in order to provide a safer user experience. MSEDP can quickly help you secure your website.
• No Intrusive Ads: Have you ever been to a website and been bombarded with popup ads? Or been blocked by seeing content due to intrusive ads? Well, yeah, it stinks. So make sure this is not a problem on your website.

The great thing about all of this is that Google gives you the tools to check this on your own with their free Google Search Console. They do this with their new Core Web Vitals feature. The core web vitals will include the real-world, user-centered metrics that will actually give a score on your website. So you have the ability to look into these aspects and find ways to improve and meets the standards laid out by Google's algorithm simply by checking Google Search Console. You can dislike the hold Google has on search engines, but they are at least transparent and do not keep their formula totally a secret.

How To Prepare For New Update

Truth be told, we still do not know exactly how much of an impact this update will have. That remains to be seen. Google isn't necessarily saying that page experience is a correlation with a ranking score. It is saying, though, that each element within the page experience carries its own weight and rankings in the overall Google algorithm. However, even with that said, it is never a bad idea to prepare. You should want your website to have a good user experience regardless.

The best way to prepare is with the aforementioned free tools via Google Search Console. On Search Console, they have a Core Web Vitals report that you can look at to see where your site is lagging and where your site meets the mark. If you are unsure, then please do check in with MSEDP. We offer professional SEO services that will help get your website performing up to speed! There are more reasons than simply this new Google algorithm update why you need professional SEO services for your website.

Guess What? Content is Still King!

There is an old saying in the SEO world that "content is king." And despite these new algorithm updates, that actually still holds true! Google has made it clear that great content will still rank high in Google Search. Even if your page experience is below average. They still want the best information at the top. So that is still the true definitive factor. However, when it comes to sites that have similar content, then the page experience update may become a deciding factor. Which is why this ultimately cannot be ignored.