It’s time to start talking about Google’s upcoming Page Experience Update. This major algorithm tweak, which SEO agencies first caught wind of in May 2020 and is expected to launch in May of this year, will judge pages based on how user friendly they are. To do this, it will consider your page’s Core Web Vitals, a series of user-oriented metrics measuring load times, interactivity, visual stability, and more.

The Page Experience Update is part of Google’s ongoing push to prioritize user experience and sideline SEO shortcuts. Opaque, keyword-stuffed content and shady link-building are out; easy-to-use, informative websites are in. The updated algorithm will look at how long it takes for your site to load, how mobile friendly it is, how secure it is, whether it’s bogged down by intrusive interstitial ads and pop-ups, whether the content and images ricochet around the pages as they load, and more.

SEO agencies are preparing for major ranking fluctuations – after all, Google rarely provides any lead time in advance of updates, let alone a full calendar year. At GrowthEngine, we are in the process of auditing our SEO clients’ sites to ensure they meet best user experience practices; we expect all ranking changes to be minor.

At the heart of user experience is content. Even websites that fail to deliver optimal load times or mobile friendliness will continue to perform well if the information they provide is accurate, robust, and easy to read.

As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with unique insights into Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media is prepared to weather whatever search ranking turmoil the Page Experience Update will create. Our SEO and content marketing team will ensure that your site continues to rank highly for the keywords that matter most to your business. To learn more, feel free to reach out today.

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