Google has a new set of ranking factors coming in May, and they’re all part of “Page Experience”. Here’s the quick info you need:
- The new factors: loading time, interactivity time, and visual stability.
- Combined with these under “Page Experience” are the existing factors: mobile friendly, safe browsing, HTTPS, no intrusive pop-ups.
- Relevant Content is still the top ranking factor. These new factors won’t necessarily change your rankings.
- How your competitors optimize their sites affects your placement in search results. If they have similar SEO as your site, Page Experience could be a significant factor.
- Google announced this well ahead of time, which could indicate a significant change.
- Predictions among SEO experts are mixed. The impact is a uncertain.
- Google has indicated that this will apply first to mobile search, but that was in December.
Predictions on the impact range from “it depends” to “big deal, why else would Google announce it well ahead of time?”. SEO is based on hundreds of factors, including how much competition you have for your search terms. The effect on one site might be different than another. You should assess your site.
What To Do
- If SEO is important for you, review your site for the Page Experience. Google published details about the signals they use.
- Update your site including content and the software running it.
- If search optimization is critical, you should review and update you site at least quarterly. If SEO is day-to-day critical, you’re probably already monitoring your site and backing up on a weekly basis. If you not, you should.
Check the video below for how to assess your site’s speed and get details about how to improve it.