As of March 3, Google has completed updating its desktop web page experience and desktop search. On February 22, the update began and ended nine days later. In this case, the company said the ranking launch would use the same Google ranking signals as the mobile-friendly ranking signals that were rolled out from June to August 2021 for mobile.
More than simply Google Core Web Vitals, Google’s latest update to its search algorithm also takes into account how users interact with a website and how well it meets their expectations.
In November 2021, Google announced it would launch a desktop version of the page experience. How does the newly launched Google page experience update for desktop affect your current Google ranking position and organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy?
Our technical SEO agency in Las Vegas assessed the impact of the latest Google search algorithm update in order to guide your desktop optimization efforts. Take a look at the Google page experience update desktop version and find out everything you need to know.
A Quick Overview of Google’s Update to the Page Experience Desktop Algorithm
The mission of Google has always been to improve the user experience. To increase their desktop search visibility and ramp up their Google Ranking position, website owners and specialists handling technical SEO services should focus on providing the best user experience possible for their website.
Page Experience Desktop and Mobile Versions: How Do They Differ?
All Google ranking signals are included in the Google page experience update for desktop search results, including the three Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS), HTTPS security, and no intrusive interstitials. It won’t be a factor for desktops, however, as mobile-friendliness remains a mobile ranking factor.
Page Experience Signals on Desktop
In order to provide the best possible results for each search query, Google has released a number of Google search updates over time. One of the many Google search updates based solely on your website’s user experience is the desktop page experience update.
You can calculate your page experience score based on the following desktop signals:
The Core Web Vitals of Google
The Google Core Web Vitals measure page load time, visual stability, and interactivity. There are three signals it focuses on:
- The largest contentful paint: Measures how long it takes for your page to load. The page load time should not exceed 2.5 seconds for a better website user experience.
- First Input Delay (FID): Calculates the input delay of a page. To ensure excellent performance, responsive website design services aim for an FID score of 100 milliseconds or less.
- Cumulative Layout Shift: Ensures the visual stability of page elements, such as images, content, and layouts. To improve user experience, our web design agency experts recommend a CLS score below 0.1.
HTTPS Security
Secure HTTPS websites focus on their security status. The HTTPS protocol ensures the integrity and confidentiality of data between a web server and a browser, something every technical SEO agency knows.
There Are No Intrusive Interstitials
Content accessibility is quantified by the absence of intrusive interstitials. In order to avoid a Google penalty, responsive website design services should adhere to interstitial design guidelines and avoid intrusive popups.
How Google Ranking Positions Are Affected by the Desktop Page Experience Update
Google says SEO and responsive website design providers shouldn’t expect drastic changes as a result of the desktop rollout. This update does not affect your organic SEO efforts if you are already improving the user experience.
Ranking volatility may have been noticed by website owners after the March 3 page experience update. You can analyze your website’s user experience score using several tools, including Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights, to determine if the desktop update has affected your website’s organic search engine optimization.
Page experience criteria on desktop web pages are evaluated by Google Search Console in a report. On the other hand, PageSpeed Insights has a Google Core Web Vitals section that you can monitor both on mobile and desktop.
Page rankings in red or yellow indicate a dramatic decline in Google’s position. The page experience update may have caused ranking drops that started or occurred on March 3. This situation calls for you to analyze the reasons behind your poor page experience score and optimize accordingly.
User Experience on Desktops: How To Improve It
In spite of the desktop page experience update not bringing drastic changes, SEO experts recommend optimizing your website’s user experience. In search results, Google uses page experience as one of the key ranking factors. As a result, a poor user experience adversely affects your site’s crawlability and indexability, which may lead to fluctuations in your ranking.
Here are some tips for improving your user experience score on your website:
- Monitor and evaluate your website’s page experience metrics, such as page load time, using tools like GSC, PageSpeed Insights, and Lighthouse.
- Get feedback from users using the CrUX dashboard.
- Fix performance issues that cause poor scores.
- Use best practices to enhance the page experience.
- To ensure your optimization efforts are on track, consult trusted web design and SEO experts.
Looking for a web design and SEO agency to improve the user experience on your website? Get in touch with Mac J Web to discuss how we can help you improve your website’s performance on Google’s page experience test.
