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Page experience is a set of signals that measures how well users interact with a web page. Forming part of what makes a great User Experience (UX), optimising your web pages is about to get even more crucial as Google is set to introduce its Page Experience algorithm in May.
This update will see Google take page experience signals into consideration when ranking web pages in Search. This comes as no surprise, as users crave and demand more from their online experiences, including site speed and ease of purchase. The arrival of the page experience algorithm means that users will be served pages that are perceived to deliver the most enjoyable experiences.
The update sees Google introduce 3 core web vitals, which is a set of metrics that measure real-world user experience, including:
Loading - Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
This measures the loading performance and therefore takes into account when the pages main content has loaded for the user to view. If your eCommerce store is slow, potential customers are likely to bounce from your site.
Interactivity - First Input Delay (FID) This measures the overall responsiveness and accounts for the experience a user receives when they first enter the site.
Stability - Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
This measures the visual stability of your site and will take into account varied layouts of pages.
Along with existing Search signals such as mobile friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS security and intrusive interstitial guidelines, the core web vitals will measure the overall user experience of your website.
The 3 Core Web Vital's will be grouped by 'Good', 'Needs Improvement' or 'Poor'. The optimum goal is for each signal to be marked as 'Good' . Take a look at Google's illustration below:
There are plenty of steps you can take to ensure your eCommerce store is prepared for Google’s latest algorithm. This is a great time to evaluate the overall performance of your eCommerce store and identify possible improvements that can be made. We recommend to focus on optimising pages as soon as possible, allowing for data analysis, implementation and testing.
To get started, take a look at the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console, this will let you know how your site is performing against the listed signals. Not sure where to start? Our team can help you to understand your data and identify key areas of improvement. By optimising your pages, the overall store experience will be enhanced, this can lead to improved conversions and more repeat custom.
Find out more about Page Experience Optimisation and how to prepare for Google’s latest update here or get in touch.
