Page experience update – 25 June

 Google announced the page experience signal in June 2020, giving us plenty of time to prepare for the update on 25 June, 2021. The update combined several existing signals related to user experience with the newer Core Web Vitals signals that measure loading times, the responsiveness of interactive elements and the visual stability of pages.

The cumulative page experience signal combines these independent signals into a single measurement for Google’s algorithm, allowing it to grade the overall quality of user experiences on individual pages.

Currently, there are three Core Web Vitals included in the page experience signal although Google says it may expand upon these over time:

1. Loading: This simply refers to loading times although Google is changing the way it measures this with a new standard called Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
2. Interactivity: Measures the responsiveness of interactive elements on your page (links, buttons, etc.) after users click them, using a new standard called First Input Delay (FID).
3. Visual Stability: Detects the movement of elements after they’ve loaded on the page and any instability this causes, using a new standard called Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Google initially suggested the impact of the page experience update could be mild, stating that quality is the determining factor in rankings. It said the page experience signal could help differentiate between two pages of similar quality.

It turns out, Google may have done a better job of playing down the update than it intended and Danny Sullivan later insisted that it could have a bigger impact over time, even if the overnight effects were small.

Of course, ranking signals aren’t the only reason you need to provide a positive user experience and the Core Web Vitals aspect of the page experience update shows Google is taking UX more seriously.

Take a look at our guide on optimising for Core Web Vitals and the page experience signal for more information.

Currently, the page experience signal only applies to mobile pages but Google’s Jeffrey Jose says it will be applied to the desktop ranking system in February 2022.