A Brief Overview of Google’s Page Experience Update February 2022

Last February 2022, Google made significant changes to its search engine. These changes are designed to improve the user’s experience when searching for information online. However, the update suddenly caused websites that hadn’t been updated in years to drop in ranking.

If you’re not familiar with this Google’s algorithm, keep reading to find out:

  • What is Page Experience Update February 2022
  • What are some of the new signals that will be included in the update
  • A quick recap of the February 2022 update

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

If you have been affected by the December 2022 Google Link Spam Update we have an article with tips to recover traffic.

Google Page Experience Update Explained

Google is changing and updating its algorithms to make sure that users have the best experience possible when using its search engine. The Google page experience update is one of the changes implemented, focusing on the user experience of a website rather than just the content.

As a result, websites that provide the best user experience are more likely to rank higher in Google search results. This is good news for owners and users, as it ensures that the most relevant and useful websites are easy to find.

Google’s first Page Experience Update for mobile between June and August 2021. The page experience update has rolled out for desktops and was completed by March 2022.

What are the Page Experience Signals Included in the Update?

Earlier this year, Google announced the rollout of a new algorithm update. This update is designed to give preference to websites that provide an excellent user experience. Google uses signals to determine how “user-friendly” a page is

Some signals go into the page experience update, but the six most important are: 

Image Source

Let’s look at each desktop signal and how it impacts your website.

Core Web Vitals

Core web vitals are measures of a website’s performance and user experience

The three Core Web Vitals metrics included:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) - The LCP measures how long it takes from when you click on a link or subscribe button until all content becomes visible.
  • First Input Delay (FID) - There are a few seconds between when you first visit a page and the time that clickable links or other actions become available. Google looks for it to be less than 100 milliseconds long.
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) - Google looks for a measure less than 0.1 CLS, which means they want sites with smooth layouts that don’t jerk up and down as the page loads.

Google has stated that websites with good core web vitals may see an increase in their ranking after the Page Experience Update is released. 

HTTPS-security

This is a security protocol, which means it encrypts the line of communication between a user and a website. HTTPS is important because visitors need to know that their personal information is safe when they enter it on your site.

Check if you have a secure connection to the website. Ensure that all data is encrypted and sent over HTTPS. 

No Intrusive interstitial

The content on the page is clearly visible to a user. Learn how interstitials can make your website’s information less accessible and employ risky practices that could lead people away from reading what you have written!

Mobile-Friendliness

While mobile-friendliness is an important signal in the page experience for Google’s search algorithm; it won’t matter on a desktop search. Even though your site might not be optimized to take advantage of smaller screens like phones or tablets, you could still get ranked higher if other criteria are met!

Take note: Google dropped the safe-browsing last year from the page experience update. 

Google Page Experience Update February 2022 Quick Recap

Let’s take a closer look at the overall recap of Google’s Page Experience update for Desktops.

Launch DateGoogle started using page experience as part of their desktop ranking systems on February 22, 2022.
CompletionSuccessfully rolled out Google’s page experience update by the end of March 2022.
GoalThis Google update has been designed to provide desktop users with a more personalized search results page. 
Search OnlyGoogle’s Page Experience update for desktop search is an extension of the algorithm launched in mobile search last year. In short, this is only for Google search.
PenaltyGoogle didn’t mention any penalty. But they’re going after the websites with poor user experience.
SitewideThis is a sitewide algorithm, which means your whole site will be impacted.
Not a core update Others believe this is a core update, but it is not.
English LanguageEven before Google has the English language. But, they’re expanding to multiple languages now.
ImpactGoogle has said that they expect the Desktop Page Experience Update to have a “modest” impact on rankings.
RecoveryAnalyze how your website gives a great user experience and satisfaction. 

Final Thoughts

In a move that could shake up the search engine optimization industry, Google has announced a Page Experience Update in February 2022. Google hopes this change will encourage website owners to focus on creating desktop pages that are easy to navigate and load quickly. This could mean big changes for businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve in SEO.

If you want to know how a particular update has affected your pages, use the SEO Leverage app’s Update Impact Report feature. Our app has a report intended to evaluate Page Experience criteria on desktop versions. Plus, you can check the overall Google Search Console report, which gets more, or less traffic after the update has finished rolling out.

By delivering an excellent user experience, you can ensure that your website maintains or even improves its position in the search results.

So don’t wait – book a consultation with SEO Leverage today!

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