Google is pushing back the launch of its Page Experience algorithm update, which will see the Core Web Vitals become ranking signals, to mid-June.
Originally scheduled to launch in May, Google’s updated timeframe for the Page Experience update gives site owners at least another month to prepare.
Google Page Experience Update and Core Web Vitals as a Ranking Factor Delayed
Google says in a blog post that the Page Experience update will start rolling out in mid-June, but will not play its full role in search rankings until the end of August.
“We’ll begin using page experience as part of our ranking systems beginning in mid-June 2021. However, page experience won’t play its full role as part of those systems until the end of August. You can think of it as if you’re adding a flavoring to a food you’re preparing. Rather than add the flavor all at once into the mix, we’ll be slowly adding it all over this time period.”
One of the reasons for the gradual rollout is to monitor the impact of the update for any unexpected or unintended issues.
Sites should not expect drastic changes when this update rolls out, Google says, as page experience will be one of many factors taken into consideration when ranking webpages.
Everything else we know about the Page Experience update remains the same as it relates to search results. See the resources at the end of this article to catch up on the latest information.
As part of the Page Experience update, a change is coming to Google News that will expand the usage of non-AMP content across news.google.com and the mobile apps. Google will also be removing AMP badges to indicate AMP content.
New Page Experience Report in Google Search Console
A new Page Experience report is now available in Google Search Console which combines the Core Web Vitals report with other page experience signals such as:
- Mobile usability: A URL must have no mobile usability errors in order to qualify for Good status.
- Security issues: Any security issues for a site disqualify all URLs on the site from a Good status.
- HTTPS usage: A page must be served over HTTPS to be eligible for Good page experience status.
- Ad Experience: A site must not use advertising techniques that are distracting, interrupting, or otherwise not conducive to a good user experience. If a site is flagged as having a bad ad experience, all pages on the site are considered as having a bad page experience.
The Page Experience report will measure the percentage of URLs on a website that offer a good experience based on an evaluation of the above factors.
Site owners can also use the report to dig into the components of page experience signal to gain additional insights on opportunities for improvement.
Along with this update, the Search Performance report in Search Console has been updated with the ability to filter pages with a good page experience. This will help with keeping track of how the pages with a good experience compare to other pages on a site.
For more on the Page Experience update, see the resources below:
- Google: Core Web Vitals Becoming Ranking Signals in May 2021
- 7 Tips to Improve Your Core Web Vitals Scores & Page Experience Signals
- Google On Expected Impact of Core Web Vitals Update
Source: Google Search Central Blog
