
The June 2021 Google algorithm update includes Page Experience, a new factor that ranks websites based on select evaluative user experience criteria.
Within Page Experience, ranking signals dubbed “Google Core Web Vitals” primarily focus on web page loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. How well or poorly your B2B website design performs within these areas does more than reflect your site’s user experience. Core Web Vitals ultimately influence your site’s overall Google search engine ranking.
The broad core algorithm updates a substantial search ranking change in pursuit of what some are calling “a better web.” It’s also a call to action for marketers within B2B companies to understand the basics of Core Web Vitals and leverage them to maintain — and grow — their competitive advantage.
Within its Page Experience, Google has attributed three specific user experience factors to its Core Web Vitals: page loading, interactivity, and visual stability.
In “Google speak,” these areas are known respectively as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):
Source: Super Monitoring
Largest Contentful Paint, or Page Loading, measures the perceived load speed of the main site content. Staying at or under 2.5 seconds is considered the sweet spot. Tick up just a bit to 4.0 seconds and you’re setting yourself up for high bounce rates — especially on mobile sites, where prolonged loading increases bounce rates by 123%.1
Source: Super Monitoring
First Input Delay (FID), or Interactivity, measures the time between the moment a user first engages with a web page by click, tap, or similar activity to when the browser starts processing that interaction. At 100 ms, it appears and feels instantaneous. However, at 300 ms, the lag is noticeable enough to potentially trigger bounce.
Source: Super Monitoring
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), or Visual Stability, measures unanticipated shifts of visual content layouts. Ideally, 0.1 or less is the goal. Anything hovering around or over 0.25 will cause some disruption or, at the very least, user frustration.
Meeting Core Web Vital metrics requires diligence and some really great online measurement tools, such as:
These tools are easily accessible, but using them requires being mindful of a few things that could impact the outcome:
RELATED: Boost Your Site Performance Using These 15 Website Grader Checks
There are a number of Google resources with ways to improve vitals. Instead of tackling every suggestion right away, prioritize these four critical web design fixes:
It wasn’t that long ago when B2B websites were thought to be the cost of market entry for promoting any product or service. The evolution of sales and marketing has made websites powerful and proactive tools that are central to lead generation and comprehensive inbound programs.
The launch of Google Core Web Vitals underscores the importance of website performance and search results, as do the tips you’ll find in 10 Key Elements of an Inbound Website. Don’t miss this informative checklist!
SOURCE
1Search Engine Watch, Google Page Experience update is all set to launch in May 2021 - Webmasters, hang in there!, November 10, 2020
Topics: Search Engine Optimization, Website Design