You must have heard about the new ranking factor on Google. It is called Core Web Vitals. It is arriving this year, so you need to know more about it. You must be wondering what this official ranking factor is all about. You need not worry, as you will come to know all about it soon. So, read on.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Google makes several changes in their algorithm each year. They also announce ranking factor changes. They do all these, to encourage webmasters to make changes on their site. It is always for the better. So, if you want to be prepared for such changes, you have got to get your basics right.
These include real-world metrics like – loading speed of pages, its interactiveness, user experience, and so on. It is joining a group of metrics which Google has decided to call – Page Experience Signals. They are different from the content part. These signals include mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, and the occurrence of pop-ups. These ranking signals are more about the user experience, and more relevant to mobile users.
How Is Google Ranking Factor Going To Affect Rankings?
It is going to affect all kind of search results, like desktop and mobile. In the new year, Core Web Vitals is going to affect Google Top Stories. Earlier, one required AMP to appear on top position. However, things are changing fast today. You have to meet the minimum threshold of Core Web Vitals.
Now, this whole thing will come into effect in 2021 itself. Google has promised to give a notice of atleast 6 months, which we have not yet received. Google has numerous ranking methods, and if you are already falling behind in any of those, this new change is going to affect you. If you are having a brand that is in high competition, with others, this could affect you. Things like page speed has a huge impact, so you might as well keep an eye on webmaster core web vitals.
As per Google’s studies, if you meet the criteria of this threshold, then your visitors will think before leaving the portal.
Also Read: How to read the new Google Page Speed Insights and what’s the metrics say?
Google Core Web Vitals Updates
To make matters short, it has three core signals.
- Largest Contentful Paint is one of them. It basically asks about the page loading speed and experience. The render time, image, video, and text in viewport largely affect it. So, these go into deciding your server time. The JavaScript, and client-site rendering can also affect the experience. So, core web vitals SEO.
- Cumulative Layout Shift is also popularly known as CLS. You must have noticed layout shifts on your mobile. You open a page, and are just about to hit a button, when the page shifts and you land elsewhere. That points towards very poor user experience. So, CLS is all about the stability of the page. Image sizes are not defined at times, and that leads to the instability of the page. Google is going to measure this as well.
- First Input Delay or FID, points towards the interactiveness of the page. The user interactiveness can depend on various aspects like Java Script, third-party code, and you have got to fix those. Google measures these, for ranking. Your google search console, will guide you.
How To Measure, If You Are Doing Things Right?
So, let us dive into the main part. If you are having problems with ranking, or want to be updated with Google’s new set of rules pertaining to google page experience updates, then read on. Look into the Search Console. That is one of the first things, that you have to check. You will find the new report there. It’s called Core Web vitals. You will get to know about the URLs and whether they need any kind of improvement or not.
If yes, then you have got to investigate. There is a link to Page Speed Insights in every report you get from Search Console. You can now use the number one tool, to diagnose all the problems. Lighthouse is a set of performance metrics tools, that powers all of this. However, you need to get a web developer to do it for you. You will find several tools like Chrome Dev Tool, the Crux API, and more.
Also Read: How To Use Google Tag Manager A Beginner Guide For Webmasters?
Google core web vitals updates brings web page programs to the forefront. The various search signals that Google is going to look out for include loading activity, interactivity, and visual stability in a nutshell. There are others as well, and that includes mobile friendliness, safe browsing experience, HTTPS, and Non-intrusive interstitial.
This is the new way to highlight great experiences, today. There are numerous tools, that you can utilize. Once you have identified the opportunities, PageSpeed Insights, and Lighthouse can help you in fixing any issues, that you may face.
These are going to serve the new generations to come.
