Is User Experience (SEO) a Ranking Factor?

You may have heard by now that Google uses more than 200 ranking factors to determine which pages should be shown as first results when a user inputs a query. From the value of the content to the links you get from other websites in your industry, SEO has been focusing a lot on quality content and how it’s distributed.

Most businesses also know about user experience as a ranking factor, but a lot of them don’t focus on it that much when devising their SEO strategies.

That may soon change.

At the end of May 2020, Google announced that we will be looking at a new algorithm update in 2021. In SEO, search engine algorithm updates are the big milestones that significantly change the way you work. This time, the update is called Google Page Experience and it will weigh more when a page is ranked.

Let’s go through the key aspects of this new update.

You might also be interested in PAGE EXPERIENCE: GOOGLE’S NEW RANKING FACTOR

Core Web Vitals

In order to quantify, evaluate, and rank pages for UX (user experience), Google will combine metrics related to a few core aspects of UX. And they are:

• Largest Content Paint (LCP)
• First Input Delay (FID)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

In addition to these core web vitals, there will be other metrics involved in the Google ranking algorithm, such as mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, and intrusive interstitials.

LCP is one of the most important metrics in UX analysis, as it shows you how fast a page loads its main content. This metric shouldn’t go over 2.5 seconds if you want your page to show high in the search results.

FID measures the responsiveness of the page, how it reacts when the user interacts with it, and how fast it happens. Pages with a good user experience have a very fast time of response when users click a link, tap a button, and so on.

CLS measures the delay users might experience when the page is loading multiple elements, which can cause a shift in how the content is positioned. This kind of problem really impacts UX that’s why Google has included it in its core metrics for its new updates.

How to Optimise Your Website for UX

When creating your search marketing strategy, you are probably very focused on SEO, PPC, and social media. Maybe until now, you didn’t pay much attention to the user experience ranking factor or thought that doing ok is enough, but starting with 2021, you should focus more on the UX your website is offering.

• Avoid slow loading times: Compress your images, don’t use obscure fonts, limit the number of apps and extensions you are using, use accordion menus to organise content, and reduce its volume.
• Structure your website logically: Make it easy for your visitors to find what they are looking for by using proper headings, site structures, subtitles with keywords in it.
• Improve your website’s navigation: Include search bars, pinned menus, navigation menu on the side, easy and clear categories for the content of the website, a sitemap at the bottom of each page, and so on.
• Check the page speed for your mobile version: Always measure the load speed on your website’s mobile version, by using the free Google PageSpeed Insights
• Use content as part of the user experience: When your target audience visits your website, it expects a certain language, topics, and look. Combine all these elements as part of keeping them on your page, recommending it, and following your call to action.

Do You Want a Lightning-Fast, Responsive Website?

We at Australian Internet Advertising have been focusing on designing ultra-fast websites for our clients. We’ve been in the digital marketing industry for many years and we know how important the role played by UX is. Our teams work together to ensure that SEO and design are both performing excellently, which gives our client a simple reward: more revenue.

Do you want a free consultation with one of our expert online specialists? Contact us and schedule a free strategy session.