The new Google Page Experience update introduces a new SEO algorithm previously not seen as it qualifies the page based on the user experience while loading, interacting, and the visual stability of the page content.
What is Page Experience update?
The Page Experience updated are 4 signals, and to have better SEO you need first to pass and get the “Good” metric on all the 3 Core Web Vitals, which are the most complex from them.
The Core Web Vitals are currently: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) being an experimental metric as Google says they intend to update the page experience signals on an annual basis.
The remaining Page Experience signals are:
- Using HTTPS protocol;
- Pass on Mobile-friendly test;
- No using intrusive interstitials: page content is easily accessible.
If you are using a Slider on your WordPress, consider running a mobile-friendly test. Many WordPress slider plugins don’t properly configure their slider for mobile and your website won’t pass the test. It also harms HTML SEO, as Google may not crawl its tags.
Delaying Javascript improperly may also trigger your website to not pass on mobile-friendly tests. For a better user experience, you should consider cache for mobile devices, available on plugins such as Wp Rocket and Cloudflare APO.
Google states that in cases where many pages may be similar in relevance, the Page Experience algorithm can be much more important for visibility in Search.
The Core Web Vitals has been also found to have a direct positive impact on conversion rates.
How to solve Core Web Vitals on WordPress
Core Web Vitals are more complex than other page signals. Using a speed optimization or a full-performance plugin can give you a significant head-start in solving the CWV metrics issues. Hire a developer to optimize your CWV WordPress, click here to get a free Wpalpha audit.
How to solve LCP
- Change the slider or the background image to a CSS background-color property or an animated CSS background with SVG
- Setup Critical CSS
- Cut and use a different image for the mobile
- Use a CDN for images and SVGs
- Preload the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Image
- Serve HTML pages cache-first (Paid)
- Optimize DOM by avoiding page builders
- Improve icon font loading, remove unused icon fonts, or switch icons to SVG’s
- Limit access from a region with failing Core Web Vitals
How to solve CLS
- Avoid elements that push content above existing content
- Use Critical CSS correctly
- Apply correct image and div sizing
- Move your CSS from theme editor to child theme style.css or main theme style.css file
- Prefer theme/plugins that use transform animations over animations of properties that trigger layout changes
If you feel like solving WordPress is too complicated or expensive, consider choosing a WordPress alternative with better Core Web Vitals:
How to check my Core Web Vitals
To look at google’s CRUX database, the data used in the Core Web Vitals for every website, use an online tool. Treo.sh offers a UI visualization of your field data, for both the last 28-day average and past year data.
It also provides granulation of your data per country and filtering metrics per country.
If you want to create a report of your Core and Web Vitals field data, go to g.co/chromeuxdash, type in your website, and on the next page, click Create Report to continue.
It will create a detailed Google Data Studio report of your website, including also all the other Web Vitals metrics.
How to monitor my Core Web Vitals
In addition to using Google’s Search Console to monitor your Core Web Vitals, use an alternative such as Cloudflare Web Analytics, a tool that offers insights from your website while preserving the privacy of your visitors.
For a more holistic approach, use Speed Curve and also monitor non-core web vitals and other metrics.
Do you want your Core Web Vitals optimized and get an SEO boost?