Today Google announced the coming introduction of a new ranking signal that will combine all its current user experience (UX) metrics (no name provided, yet).
Current UX criteria will combine with the recently announced Core Web Vitals – a set of tools for measuring and optimizing page experience.
When will the change take effect?
They’ll be rolling out the ranking signal sometime next year and plan to introduce additional UX changes ongoingly. ‘Top Stories’ on mobile will also incorporate the ranking signal, and AMP (accelerated mobile pages) will no longer be an eligibility requirement.
Google also plans to provide a notice of six months before implementing these changes, so website owners should have enough time to make adjustments.
My thoughts and what to expect
I like this change. I’d recommend making the experience of users one of your main focus now if you haven’t already done so. Websites that care about their visitors may see an increase in traffic, and over time, the new ranking signal should positively influence the overall Internet experience.
And that’s a good thing for businesses because user engagement and sales generally increase when experience is excellent.
Do keep in mind that this is only one ranking signal among many that search engines use to evaluate web pages. Google was sure to remind us of that on its official announcement.
“A good page experience doesn’t override having great, relevant content. However, in cases where there are multiple pages that have similar content, page experience becomes much more important for visibility in Search.”
This article is a quick summary discussing key points. You can read the official announcement for more details.
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