In October we announced three important new Google updates that collectively require businesses to deliver more enriching content on their websites for the year ahead. It seems that Google is not done with their 2021 resolutions, as this past week they set a firm deadline for another very impactful update regarding Page Experience. At press, businesses have six months to comply. Read the following, then we urge you to take immediate action.
What You Need to Know About the Google Page Experience Update Arriving May 2021
What Are Page Experience Signals?
Remember when we alerted our readers that you can be sued for having a bad website? Google’s Page Experience now impacts Google’s Search rank how website visitors perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond the information it provides. Think of it as “real-world” user experience. Page Experience ranking assesses the following:
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- Page loading performance
- Interactivity
- Visual stability
- Mobile responsiveness
- Safe browsing (including HTTPS)
- Inclusion or absence of interstitials (i.e. pop-ups)
As of May 2021, web pages (and entire sites) that fail in any of these metrics will very likely experience a drop in search rank.
The majority of websites are guilty of one of the above, if not more. What about your site? Does it load slowly? Do images show up in varying succession? Are your webpages too “busy”? Do you use pop-ups to deliver offers or information updates? Then your site is guilty and will be penalized. That’s right, even your pop-up regarding adjusted hours of operation during COVID-19 can get your website dinged!
What You Can Do About It
Calling upon management and staff to conduct a manual review of your website won’t usually cut it. Instead, you will need to run a series of evaluations using specific tools provided by Google to audit your website’s overall Page Experience. These include the following:
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- Measurement of your site’s core vitals
- Run mobile friendly tests (including mobile page speed)
- Check for safe browsing issues
- Check your site’s https status
- Verify that pop-ups and other interstitials do not initially block full access to a web page, no matter how “informative” it may be
The evaluations are not for the faint of heart, nore for the inexperienced. The vast majority of business owners are not webmasters after all. Help is on the way…
Strategis Consulting Group will run a Page Experience audit of your entire website to ensure that you’re ready for the May 2021 deadline. Please note that some issues can take weeks to address, and if you need a complete website redesign you want to have at least two-months lead time. Contact Strategis Consulting Group today to receive your FREE audit to get started.