Google’s new ranking factor – Page Experience: what you need to know

At the end of May, Google announced an update to its ranking algorithm. According to the company, the new algorithm will come into effect no earlier than 2021.

What is this update

It’s called Page Experience, and its goal is to move user-friendly sites up in the rankings.With this update, Google will more strictly check the metrics that we know are responsible for the quality of the site:

• the delay time after the first action;
• the assessment of layout displacement;
• adaptability;
• the availability of HTTPS;
• security;
• the absence of intrusive advertising;
• displaying the main content.

Google is updating the ranking signal, which will raise those resources that users like the most in the search.

Main parameters (Core Web Vitals)

The company has already presented updates to the first three metrics responsible for speed, visual stability and usability.

Largest contentful paint (LCP)

It measures the loading efficiency of the visual part of the page. The loading speed of objects should not exceed 2.5 seconds.

First input delay (FID)

Determines the speed between clicking on a clickable object and the actual execution of the action. This value must be less than 100 milliseconds. It is measured using Lighthouse.

Cumulative layout shift (CLS)

Determines the stability of the page, that is, the absence of changes without any impact. For instance, the disappearance of an object on a page or the shifting of text or an image. The permissible shift is up to 0.1 mm, but ideally, the page should be stationary.

The update will also apply to options that have long existed in Google:

• Mobile-Friendly – the layout that adapts to mobile devices;
• Safe browsing – the presence or absence of malicious programs and false content;
• HTTPS – protocol extension to support encryption for increased security;
• The absence of intrusive advertising – advertisements that overlap the main content of the page should be avoided.

Why should you seriously prepare for changes

Google admits that relevant content remains almost the most important factor in ranking sites. But if your competitors write the same useful and unique articles as you do, the resource analysis and adaptation in all other parameters will help you bypass them.