The user experience will have a stronger influence on the Google ranking in the future. Due to the corona crisis, the changes will not take effect until 2021 at the earliest.
Google revised the ranking factors again. In future, the user experience should be given greater importance. At the same time, the availability of an AMP version will no longer play a role in the placement in the search results. The group announced this in a blog post.
However, due to the corona crisis, the changes should not take effect until 2021. Google promises to give the exact date at least half a year in advance, so that website operators have enough time for any changes to their page.
Web Vitals form the core of the new ranking factors
The centerpiece of the planned ranking factor is the Web Vitals key figures presented at the beginning of May 2020 . These consist of a total of three individual metrics, which are used to measure render time, time between user activity and browser response and the visual stability of a website. In addition, the new ranking factor should also contain existing signals.
In addition to the Web Vitals key figures, the new ranking factor will also include the following questions in the evaluation:
- Is the website optimized for mobile devices?
- Is the website secure and does not contain any malicious code or phishing content?
- Is the connection to the website protected by HTTPS?
- Do overly intrusive popup elements prevent the actual content from being visible?
The final value of the new ranking factor is then calculated from the web vital values determined and the four further signals. Together with the existing factors, this then results in the amount of the placement in the Google search results.
In Search Console, Web Vitals Report now replaces the Speed Report
Google has now also revised the speed report in the Search Console. Instead of the previous report, three Web Vitals key figures are now recorded for your own website. Previously, Google had already integrated the new assessment basis into the Chrome user experience report. The company has also announced that it will use Web Vitals as the basis for Pagespeed Insights in the future.