How Page Experience Ranking Signals Work

When it comes to rankings in Google SEO, there are several crucial factors to consider, including page experience. John Mueller, Google’s webmaster trends analyst, addressed several questions about how page experience ranking signals affect Google SEO rankings and why the search engine may reduce its usage.

He did not discount the importance of Core Web Vitals (CWV) as a ranking factor. Rather, he contextualised various instances where the Page Experience ranking factor comes into play, as well as examples of when it won’t be as important.

Mueller gave a detailed response to this and discussed several other relevant and interesting topics.

What is the Significance of the Core Web Vitals Ranking Factor?

In a Google Office Hours hangout, Mueller addressed an individual who said that their site visits had dropped due to what they thought was the effect of the CWV ranking signal.

Whilst the individual had gotten back on track in terms of site traffic, they noted that the page experience update was being rolled out for desktop as well.

Their question was: “What is the desktop page experience ranking, and how essential is it in comparison to the other ranking factors”?

In line with this, the person who posed the query wanted to know how significant core web vitals is as a ranking factor.

When is a Ranking Factor Not Beneficial to Rankings?

Mueller said that there are certain cases where Google may not use the page experience ranking factor. This is an intriguing response because ranking factors are often perceived as being always in effect.

Mueller provided an example wherein this ranking factor is cast aside to provide Google users with what they want.

According to him, similar to mobile, the page experience ranking factor is simply a piece of data that tells Google more about the various pages that may appear in the search results.

And in cases where Google can comprehend that the user wants to visit a certain website, or if the query contains a clear indication of intent, then from that standpoint, the search engine may moderate their use of page experience as a factor for ranking.

This is intriguing since it’s typical to consider the SERPs (search engine results pages) as a bunch of links leading to websites arranged according to ranking factors.

Still, there are several factors that affect a site’s Google SEO ranking. This is an example of how ranking factors might be put aside for specific purposes.

When is the Page Experience Signal Beneficial?

Mueller then goes on to describe how the Page Experience ranking signal functions. According to his previous comments, this ranking signal cannot be seen as a tie-breaker.

He then gave an example of a situation where the ranking signal comes in handy and helps a site rank higher. Mueller pointed out that if the content of the search results page is very similar, then Page Experience likely helps identify which pages are faster or less useful.

Desktop Page Experience Update Won’t Cause Significant Changes

Mueller then discussed the desktop version of Google’s Page Experience update, which was introduced on 22 February 2022 and finished rolling out on 3 March 2022. He stated that the rollout would have been completed in about a month. However, his claims were made just three days following the update’s announcement, and the video was not published until two days after completing the update.

Mueller’s statement of how long the update would take should be seen as just an estimate and not a definitive statement.

That said, Mueller shifted, noting that the desktop Page Experience ranking factor should not result in significant rank changes.

He pointed out that if publishers saw “significant” changes in the search outcomes during the rollout of Google’s desktop Page Experience update, it would be a mistake to think they were related to this.

Website Do Not Drop Because of Poor Core Web Vitals

Mueller then talked about Core Web Vitals in terms of why a website may have dropped from the search results.

The key point he is trying to make is that while the core web vitals ranking signal may account for minor changes, it isn’t the sort of signal that would result in a significant shift.

Mueller’s Takeaways on Page Experience as a Ranking Factor

• When a searcher expects to visit a certain website, the Page Experience ranking factor is disregarded.
• When numerous sites provide similar answers, the Page Experience ranking factor comes in handy.
• The update for Desktop Page Experience is not to blame for significant ranking adjustments.
• Core Web Vitals aren’t to blame for major ranking shifts.
• Core Web Vitals may influence small variations in rankings.

Optimise Your Page Experience for Better Performance

Rankings of Google SEO sites depend on various factors, including the quality and quantity of your content, your site’s age and history, your backlink profile, and much more. A website’s page experience can help create a good user experience, aiding with SEO, as it can help keep people on your site, leading to more page views and conversions. We at position1seo.co.uk are experts in assisting businesses in maximising page experience benefits for their SEO.

Position1SEO can help by improving your website’s design, making sure that it is mobile-friendly and responsive. Our team can work to increase your website’s speed and help you create great content that engages your audience. We can also help with technical SEO issues, such as improving your website’s structure and fixing any errors that could be holding you back from ranking higher in search engines.

We can assist you in improving your website SEO rankings on Google and increasing your site visibility in search engine results pages. With our SEO best practices, you will gain a serious edge over your competitors.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding website SEO. To find out more about our services, call us on 0141 404 7515 or send an email to jason@position1seo.com.