Google Core Web Vitals Update 2021

Following Google's Response to Modern Consumer Behavior

Like all digital platforms, Google regularly updates its site for different Quality of Life improvements. This can come in the form of more intuitive layouts or redesigned icons for better usability. Besides these cosmetic upgrades, however, comes more essential developments for its algorithm and search engine web crawlers. These are the updates that digital marketers take note of to get better rankings on their websites.

Page experience signals are a collection of search signals that allow Google to determine the credibility and relevance of a website when looking for a response to a search query. These variables include loading, interactivity, visual stability, mobile-friendliness, and even safe browsing. 

Through these filters, the almost endless waves of landing pages are screened to display only the best pages that fit these criteria. In almost an instant, the only thing users see after this filtering process is the top results on their search query's display page.

With Google's recent update, core web vitals will now be added to the standards for search engine results page (SERP) rankings.

What this means for business owners and marketers is a realignment of current strategies.

If you don't want to be surprised at your site's subpar performance in the following months, read on to learn more about the inclusion of Google Core Web Vitals.

Understanding the Impact of Google Core Web Vitals Update

Google has long since aimed to release visual indicators to allow business owners to set their sites to the latest standards. These will signify that a page follows the appropriate implementation of user experience matrices when gauged through updated guidelines. Through this Core Web Vitals update, web developers will have smoother processes of measuring user perception for better revisions on specific landing pages.

Because of this latest update, the ranking will be affected by the new metrics introduced for gauging user interest.

This means you'll need to prioritize your site's performance following Google's new guidelines for page experience signals.

Reviewing All Page Experience Signals

As mentioned above, Google will release new page experience signals to further enhance its search engine algorithm's efficiency to match search engine queries. These variables will be necessary for web developers to adjust their best practices to achieve particular goals.

Listed below are the page experience signals you should consider when auditing your websites:

• Safe Browsing: Data security is a growing concern in all parts of the world. Because of this, numerous legislations have been enacted to protect consumers and businesses alike. If your websites don't have secure encryptions for data transfers, Google may rank your site as a malicious website that can harm online visitors.
  
  
• Mobile Friendliness: The accessibility of browsing the internet through mobile devices is among the latest trends in today's generation. Because of this, many businesses are putting more focus on responsive web design to appeal to mobile users. This is why mobile optimization is among the many variables used to get a higher SERP ranking.
  
  
• Loading: As one of the new additions included in the Core Web Vitals update, loading pertains to the Largest Contently Paint (LCP). This pertains to how fast your page loads on a user's browser. Ideally, this speed should be within 2.5 seconds.
  
  
• Interactivity: As the second addition included in the Core Web Vitals update, interactivity gauges the engagement of online users on your site. Similar to loading, interactivity is measured by a metric pertaining to user input. The First Input Delay (FIP) is a metric that measures how the first action a user performs on a site. The Ideal FID should be under 100 milliseconds if you want your landing pages to maintain a high ranking for interactivity.
  
  
• Visual Stability: As the third of the Core Web Vital features, visual stability pertains to the loading speed of a site's full elements. The Cumulative layout shift (CLS) should be at a rate of less than 0.1 to ensure high rankings for mobile-friendly and responsive web design demands.

These web metrics and more must be above the 75th percentile of all websites on the internet. Otherwise, there's a very low chance that your landing pages will be visible to search engine queries. 

While it may be safe to follow these metrics for the time being, remember that core web vitals' prioritization will change regularly. This depends on online user behavior and the collective response of web design trends. For this reason, you should always keep an eye on announcements and updates to these SEO ranking variables.  In addition to google search console, you can also request a free website audit. 

Reviewing Your Site's Performance



Reviewing Your Site's Performance

Now that you're familiar with the page experience signals' purpose on your site, you'll have a better understanding of its impact on your site's metrics. Thankfully, there are several tools you can use to gauge your site's performance.

• Google Search Console: As a verified website, you have the advantage of reviewing your site's present status through the Core Web Vitals Report. This audits your different landing pages, ranking their optimization as either "Poor," "Needs Improvement," or "Great."
  
  
• Web Vitals Chrome Extension: Besides the GSC, you can use the Web Vitals Chrome extension to assess the core web vitals of pages conveniently. This makes it easy to track the efficiency of a site, whether you're the website's owner or not. It's an effective tool to study other websites and monitor how well they perform for reference.
  
  
• Lighthouse: These tools allow you to precisely quantify your pages' performance by highlighting issues that need fixing and providing necessary suggestions to apply.
  
  
• Page Speed Insights: The PSI is a simple tool that offers a straightforward function of ranking the loading speed of your landing pages. While they're not entirely accurate for website ranking, they provide an objective overview of your average site loading speeds.

Adjusting to these new Google Core Web Vitals is...Vital!

Keeping up with the continual evolution of technological advancements can be a tough act to follow. In a time where maintaining online relevance and visibility is the key to maintaining a business, it's vital to pay attention to the changes in the marketing landscape. If you're not staying on your feet, your company can quickly fall behind. This is why it's a viable solution to coordinate your marketing strategies with experts in the industry.

About The Stack Group

We are a digital design firm specializing in web design, SEO, content writing, and graphic design based out of Agawam, MA.  For questions about how your website may be impacted by these google core updates, contact us online.