Have you ever considered why search engines like Google frequently upgrade their algorithm? Well, they do so to make the browsing experience effortless for users. In fact, every year, search engine giants like Google roll out some upgrades to ensure only the best-performing websites rank on top of SERPs. One similar upgrade or algorithm change was in May 2020, when Google announced web vitals- a new set of metrics to measure a website’s speed and user experience. Only sometime later in 2021, Google announced that these metrics would make their way into a core algorithm update as a new way of judging and ranking websites based on the page experience they offer.
So, what is page experience, and why should an SEO agency focus on improving it? Read on to know more!
UX Matters, for Real!
About 83% of online users expect websites to load in three seconds or less, and 40% might leave a site that takes longer than this.
Source: https://www.webfx.com/blog/seo/site-speed-statistics/
It’s no less than a pipe dream to think you would click on a link in the search results, and the corresponding page would appear instantly. Over the years, pages have increased in size, and programming languages like JavaScript have made them even more complex and tougher to load. Even with a lightning-fast internet connection, and state-of-the-art devices at their fingertips, users find loading a webpage no less than a drag. While waiting for the pages to load can be stressful for users, the on-site performance can also be maddening on some websites.
Optimize Page Experience!
Page experience is essentially how users perceive their interaction with a web page beyond the information it provides. In a nutshell, page experience is essentially how users perceive their interaction with a web page beyond the information it provides. The ranking factor considers aspects like loading speed, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS security, and whether intrusive pop-ups and ads disrupt the users’ flow or not.
Core Web Vitals: The Core Pillar of Page Experience
SEO page experience massively relies on Core Web Vitals- three specific metrics that measure user interaction and experience. These include:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): So, this one measures the time it takes for the main content of a page to load. Typically, the ideal LCP is 2.5 seconds or faster, and if your site takes too long to load its key content, users will bounce, and your rankings will suffer.
- First Input Delay (FID): So, FID for a page is the time taken by it to become interactive. A low FID (less than 100 milliseconds) ensures that users can engage with your page quickly without feeling frustrated by lagging elements like forms or buttons.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This KPI quantifies how much of the page layout shifts unexpectedly while loading. Pages with a CLS score below 0.1 provide a stable viewing experience because nobody likes it when they are about to click a button, and the page jumps, causing them to misclick.
Is Mobile-Friendliness Essential for SEO?
Of course, it is! More than half of web traffic globally now comes from mobile devices, and Google naturally prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its search rankings. So, optimizing your site for mobile friendliness is no longer an optional feature, but an indispensable element of page experience and SEO success.
Most SEO services focus on technical SEO to ensure that your website design is responsive, loads quickly on mobile devices, and the fonts, buttons, and other interactive elements are easy to use on smaller screens. In case, you are wondering why they do it, they do so because of Google’s mobile-first indexing approach, meaning how search engines primarily use the mobile version of a website to determine ranking. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, and cross-platform compatibility on different devices, it may appear lower in search results, regardless of how good your desktop version might be.
The Role of HTTPS and Security in Page Experience
Security is a major ranking factor for page experience. In fact, Google always pushes websites to use HTTPS over HTTP, even marking non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure.” It does so because HTTPS encrypts the communication between the user’s browser and the server, offering a secure browsing experience. On the other hand, if your site still uses HTTP, you aren’t just risking your visitors’ data, you are also losing out on ranking potential.
If you are focusing on SEO page experience, emphasize the security aspect because search engines value trustworthiness, and using HTTPS showcases both users and Google that your site takes security seriously.
Intrusive Interstitials: Why Less is More?
Pop-ups, especially those that block users from accessing the content they came to see, can significantly degrade the page experience. Google penalizes sites that use intrusive interstitials, especially on mobile. While it’s fine to have ads or pop-ups, they need to be well-timed and non-intrusive.
Think about it from a user’s perspective. Would you want to be bombarded with a full-screen pop-up the moment you land on a page? Probably not. Google’s ranking system is designed to reflect this user sentiment.
User Engagement Signals: Bounce Rate, Dwell Time, and Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Page experience affects other critical SEO factors like bounce rate, dwell time, and CTR. Let’s break these down:
- Bounce Rate: If users land on your page and leave immediately, it sends a signal to Google that your page isn’t valuable or doesn’t provide what they were looking for. A poor page experience often leads to high bounce rates.
- Dwell Time: This is the amount of time users spend on your page before returning to the search results. A seamless page experience, with fast load times and easy navigation, encourages users to stay longer, signaling to Google that your content is relevant and engaging.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): A good user experience on your site can lead to higher CTR in the search results. If users repeatedly click on your link because they know they will get a great experience, it sends positive signals to Google, boosting your rankings over time.
Ready to Get Started?
Page experience can influence SEO in more than one way, which is why it is no longer a “nice to have” element of your website; it’s a necessity for SEO success. Want to improve your site’s page experience, and don’t know where to get started, or how to execute the perfect SEO strategy flawlessly? Reach out to a professional SEO agency, and let the professionals do it for you!
