Google uses a combination of algorithms and ranking factors to determine their
search engine results page. Every few months, Google comes out with a new
update, changing the way sites are ranked. Most updates are so slight that they go
completely unnoticed, but this update has been in the works since December of
2020. Because of the larger time period between updates, it will have a greater
impact on website visibility. To ready your site for the potential changes, it is
important to keep a watchful eye on your keyword visibility and frequently check
your core web vitals score using Google PageSped Insights. Keep reading to learn
more about what will be included in Google’s most recent update and how to
remain competitive in a constantly updating world.
What will be included in the update?
The new update will consider multiple user and page experience signals and Core
Web Vitals. Mobile and user experience are becoming more and more important
with each update, and this update is no different, but the most notable change is
the introduction of Core Web Vitals. Core Web Vitals include a set of three elements
that successfully measure user experience, interactivity, and general page speed.
These three elements are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). For the first time in JB Systems history, we will be
including these core web vital metrics in our Monthly SEO Reports.
- ★ Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is the time it takes a site to load it’s largest
image or text block. It ensures that the viewer is seeing all content at a timely
pace. Google recommends an LCP of less than 2.5 seconds. - ★ First Input Delay (FID) measures the time from when a user first interacts with a
page (i.e. when they click a link, tap on a button) to the time when the
browser is able to begin processing the interaction. Since a delay in the
processing of the website interaction is bad for user experience, Google
recommends an LCP of less than 100 ms. - ★ Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures the unexpected movement of
elements on a site. A layout shift occurs any time a visible element changes
its position from one rendered frame to the next. When done wrong, these
unexpected shifts are often annoying to the consumer and will lead to a high
bounce rate. Google recommends having a CLS score (layout instability) of
under .1
In anticipation of the update, JB Systems has been monitoring Core Web Vitals on
our Advanced and Standard SEO Clients and have been working on site-wide
improvements that will maintain our client’s competitiveness. To learn more about
what you can do to improve your site’s Core Web Vitals, send us an email at
digitalmarketing@jbsystemsllc.com. We are happy to answer any additional
questions!