Google continuously updates its search engine algorithm to provide users with the best experience possible. From the Penguin update in 2012 that rewards high-quality websites to the December 2020 core update, each Google algorithm update has aimed to provide users with valuable, high-quality search results.

While it makes for a better user experience, these changes also mean that you can’t sleep on your SEO. Every major algorithm update requires a corresponding shift in how you approach your website and SEO strategy to maximize your search engine ranking.

The latest buzz is about a new ranking factor called Page Experience that will roll out in May 2021. This Google algorithm update will have a significant impact on how Google organizes search rankings, and it’s something all site owners need to understand and anticipate. Planning now means that you can get a head start on your competition and take advantage of this significant update.

What Is the Google Page Experience Update?

Page experience is all about how the user feels when they use a website. Nobody likes using a sluggish, poorly formatted website, and the new factor will take all of these aspects into account.

Page Experience also includes all the typical Google search signals, such as:

• Mobile-friendliness
• HTTPS
• No intrusive interstitials
• Safe browsing

In addition, Google updated three more important factors that were originally announced in May 2020. While these factors aren’t necessary for current rankings, the announcement gives websites time to get the ball rolling before the May 2021 update.

Core Web Vitals

Defining user experience can be tricky since people tend to like and dislike different things. However, Google has identified three factors that influence everyone’s enjoyment of a particular page. These are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): In other words, loading. This factor measures how long it takes for the main content of a page to load. Anything under 2.5 ms is good, while anything longer will need work.
• First Input Delay (FID): FID measures responsiveness, how the website feels to use. An input delay of under 100 ms is reasonable, while anything over will make your site feel sluggish and unpleasant to navigate.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Users tend to find sudden shifts in layouts disorienting. The CLS measures how many unexpected layout shifts there are on a particular page. The lower your score, the better.

Google has already provided a measuring tool to see how your site measures up to the competition. This tool is invaluable and will give you a good idea of what you need to do before the May algorithm update.

How Important Is Page Experience?

While page experience is what the entire SEO community has focused on, even Google says it’s not the only metric they use to rank sites. High-quality content is still vital and will still be the major ranking signal.

However, if your website is already close in quality content to a competitor, having an excellent page experience may be the deciding factor in who wins in the rankings. If you have relatively low-quality content, it may be a good idea to focus on that first before tackling page experience.

Preparing for the Google Algorithm Update 2021

You still have around three months to get ready for the May 2021 broad core algorithm update. Now is the perfect time to focus on getting your SEO strategy on point well ahead of the curve. You can be sure that your competition will be doing the same, so failing to act now can result in massive ranking fluctuations in the future.

The best way to start preparing is to measure how your current website rates on the Core Vitals. You can also use this time to polish other aspects of your user experience, like mobile-friendliness and tweaking your calls to action, which still play a major role in the page experience signal.

Mobile-Ready

Mobile usage has stabilized at around 50% of all global website traffic, so if you’re not mobile-friendly, you can expect to lose approximately 50% of all potential interest. Google primarily uses the mobile version of a website when crawling, making it essential to have a well-designed, fast-loading mobile site.

Mobile-friendliness is about more than just reducing redirects; it may require a complete website rework. People browse differently on mobile, and your site structure and webpage design need to cater to that browsing style.

Improve Page Speeds

If your website page speed is under 2.5 ms, consider improving it before May. You may want to think about using some of the following optimizations to enhance your user experience:

• Minimize HTTP requests by combining files to reduce the number of components on a page.
• Utilize asynchronous loading to speed up page load times.
• Reduce file image sizes, especially if you’re expecting customers to browse on their mobile devices.
• Check your server response times and consider changing hosting providers if necessary.

Start Using Alt-Text

Alt-text is an excellent way to include keywords that can improve your ranking. Alt-text is an HTML code that will load a piece of text if an image fails to load. An alt text description can provide context and improve user-friendliness. Even better, a Google crawl will pick up on alt text in response to search queries, so it can help improve your rankings.

Don’t Skimp on Content

While it’s easy to focus on a simple, measurable metric like page load speeds, you shouldn’t forget about the essential element: content. Google uses several covert machine learning AIs to analyze content, which means you can’t get away with merely recycling old content.

When it comes to SEO, content remains king. Whether you’re aiming for a shot at a featured snippet or simply want to rank higher, you’ll need to establish your authority in the field. And the only way to do that is to publish relevant, valuable content. Updating your website frequently with relevant blog posts is a great way to do this.

How the Google Update 2021 Will Affect Your Website

Law, in particular, is a very competitive field when it comes to SEO. Luckily, these algorithm changes are a good thing for most lawyers.

If you’ve been focusing on SEO, you already know that page loading speed and visual stability are essential, and you’ve probably incorporated those factors into your existing website. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the boost in rankings as page experience becomes more critical.

If you’ve been lagging in the rankings or have an older website, this Google algorithm update provides an excellent reason to reevaluate your current SEO strategy and make it more effective. The Core Vitals measurements are an ideal place to start and can provide a solid base for moving forward.

If you’re feeling uncertain about how this update will affect your service business, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Digital Assets Factory. We’ve helped law firms, accountants, and many other professionals get the edge on their competition, and we can do the same for you.