Google page experience update

SEO: Google rolls out Page Experience update on desktop

Almost 9 months after the launch of Google Page Experience on mobile, the deployment of the update on desktop has just been announced. As a reminder, the objective of this update is to integrate criteria related to the user experience, such as Core Web Vitals indicators for example, in the method of evaluating pages.

What are the criteria of Google Page Experience on desktop?

The ranking is based on the web experience signals on the page, which are already used on mobile. Google recommends certain performance thresholds to be reached for certain indicators, such as loading time for example. To evaluate the latter, the Core Web Vitals are measured:

  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): an indicator that measures the visual stability of the user interface. According to Google, a good CLS score is between 0 and 0.1, and beyond 0.25, it is a bad score.
  • FID (First Input Delay): an indicator that measures interactivity. According to Google, a good FID score is below 100 milliseconds, and above 300 milliseconds, it is a bad score.
  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): indicator that measures the loading time. According to Google, a good LCP score corresponds to loading the largest visible element of a web page in less than 2.5 seconds. Beyond 4 seconds, it is a bad score.

Other criteria that are taken into account on desktop are HTTPS security and the absence of intrusive interstitials. Unlike the mobile version, usability is not one of the elements that count in the Page Experience update on desktop. The firm says that “when a site has separate URLs for desktop and mobile, with proper configuration, the signal is based on the URLs that users see on desktop.”

Google also says that they “help site owners analyze the performance of their desktop pages in terms of on-page experience through a Search Console report”.

What impact does this update have on SEO?

Announced since 2020, then deployed on mobile in June 2021, this update on desktop should not surprise web professionals. Indeed, many sites have already anticipated its arrival by optimizing their user experience.

Google Page Experience for desktop should not cause major disruptions in the ranking of sites. Moreover, the search engine specifies that quality content remains essential to benefit from a good referencing, all bet on the user experience will not be enough.

However, be careful, because with equivalent content, it is this point that will make the difference, so it is essential not to neglect it. It is urgent for SEO experts and site owners to take care of it now, if it is not already done.

Already fully active since August 2021 on mobile, the update has just started to be deployed on desktop, and should be fully available by the end of March 2022.

 

Peter