This is the first time for a while that Google has given us notice before changing their algorithm- which means there is time to prepare before it can impact your website rankings.
The new update is predicted to be rolled out this June, according to Google.
If you’re in the manufacturing industry, this is one to be aware of. With the increasingly competitive landscape, businesses within the manufacturing sector can’t afford to be pushed down the rankings on Google for something that can be prevented.
What’s the new update?
This update is being referred to as the ‘Page Experience Update’. Its purpose is to judge your web pages based on how your users view their experience or ability to interact with a page. Basically, if Google thinks your users are going to have bad experiences on your website, they may move you down the rankings.
Google will be using a new set of metrics called ‘Core Web Vitals’ to assess a website’s user experience.
What is page experience?
These metrics aim to understand whether the user’s experience with the page will be positive or not, which is done by considering these factors:
- The loading speed of the page
- Whether the website is mobile friendly
- Whether it runs on HTTPS
- Whether there are any unwanted pop-ups or ads on the pages
- Whether the content jumps around as the page loads
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics related to speed, responsiveness and visual stability.
They fall under these metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)- this measures your loading performance. It’s suggested that your LCP (the largest element on your page) should load within 2.5 seconds.
- Total Blocking Time (TBT)- this measures your interactivity which is the time between a user’s initial action taken on a website and the website’s response to the action. Websites should aim to have a TBT of less than 300ms.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)- this is a new metric that works by assessing if the page is stable when it loads. For example, looking at whether or not the images, content and buttons move around whilst the page loads. It is suggested that pages should have a CLS of less than 0.1.
Tools to measure Core Web Vitals
You can use this platform to help monitor, maintain and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results.
This tool will help you to assess your website’s performance analytics and provide you with a list of actionable recommendations to improve it.
Key takeaways
- Google is giving you notice for this update so make sure you make the relevant changes to your website.
- User experience will impact your ranking on Google from June.
- Google has made it clear that great content will still rank highly over poor page experience.
At Xpand, we want to help manufacturing companies make sure their customers can find their websites easily. With the use of SEO and content creation strategies, we can help you become more visible to your customers.
We hope that this blog is helpful, and has given you a good idea of what to expect next month. If you’re looking for further guidance on how to prepare for the new update, or if you’re interested in improving your search rankings, get in touch.
