Updates in Google Algorithm in 2021
Google Inc. needs no introduction when it comes to technological advancements. The US based tech giant is a mountain that holds a firm place when it comes to web browsing services and search engines. Google is known to bring regular updates in its algorithm which makes it able to cope up with the changes in the tech world. The last update of Google Algorithm, rolled out in June, 2021. It is been named as “Page Rank”, has been very crucial in the present time of pandemic and has played a very significant role in influencing the user experience while making out the searches on the search engine.
As per the experts at Google Inc., the objective of rolling out this new update is to improve the quality of page performance and give a better user experience. Besides this, the major intention of this update is to improve mobile friendly interface of the search results. As in the present scenario, majority of searches are from hand held devices and mobiles, Google is targeting on various factors that determine the quality of mobile based search results. Some major paradigms or search result metrics are:
- Fast load time
- Stable and non shifting web pages
- HTTPS security (SSL Certification)
- Optimized Images and content
These new metrics are been labeled as “Core Web Vitals” and are required to be met or fulfilled by a website to be significantly visible on search pages. These core web vitals are meant to help the website owner to keep a check and make essential changes in the web pages as per the new compliances of new Google algorithm. These vitals are further divided into 3 parts
1. Largest Contentful Paint
It determines the visible aspect of the load time. In simple words, LCP will check and calculate the duration a website or webpage takes to load its largest block of information or content. Lesser the time, higher the chances of better ranking.
2. First Input Delay:
It is meant to check out the responsiveness of the webpage. For example, if you click on a menu and if it takes a second or more to open, your page is not well responsive as per new algorithm, this low FID.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift
It monitors and measures an important aspect of user experience of your website or webpage, i.e. stability of webpage. If your page is not stable and disengage during the access, it lays a negative impact on your site’s CLS and overall ranking.
Impact of this Page Rank Update on the SEO of your website
With the rolling out of the new update in algorithm, the websites will need certain optimizations to comply with the new guidelines. Along with this, the commercial aspect of your website is also looked after. The bounce rate is a crucial factor in this case. If the user is redirecting in less than 10 seconds of your site, your site performance will not considered up to the mark. The quality of content that you are offering is also an important aspect which determines the engagement of a user or visitor on your site.
With the passage of time, Google is laying more focus on the user experience and site performance. Speculations are made that with this new algorithm, the competition of webpages on a specific search in SERP will be high. But on the positive side it will support the websites to provide good web surfing experience.
Methods to monitor and improve Core Web Vitals
There are certain changes and optimizations which can be made by the site owners to improve their CWV and overall user experience on Google. Let’s look at some of the practices which you can opt to fix the performance of your web pages :
Page speed Insight
Using the tools like Google Lighthouse, you can identify your score related to Largest Contentful Pages, First Input Delay and Cumulative Layout Shift. Remember that the tool provides an alert stating, The Chrome User Experience Report does not have sufficient real-world speed data for this page. For LCP, your score must be under 2.5 seconds. For FID, the score is required to be under 100 milliseconds to get a good and for CLS, the score of .1 is ideal for the website.
Other than this, they also offer additional vocational training like Graphics designing, influencer video marketing, Affiliate marketing to get optimal results. In addition to this, they also explains fundamentals of search engine optimisation and Google tools.
Field Data
Also known as Real User Metrics (RUM). This data is based on the user feedbacks and is visible through the Pagespeed Insight Tool in Search Console. Due to insufficient data to keep a monitor on it, the website is required to score about 75% score for appropriate display of performance.
Lab Data
It can be derived from the tools like Google Lighthouse and load the pages without user intervention. However it is not exact idea of user experience and helps the website owners to optimize their website as per Google Page Rank algorithm
Page experience report
It is a new Google report which shows the experience metrics of your website for previous 90 days. It offers a good page experience and number of impressions received through the URL. The website or webpage is required to pass the core web vitals assessments followed by the accessibility to mobile usability, security, HTTPS and advertising experience.
Methods to improve Core Web Vitals
In order to carry out the proper performance of the website, you can get the optimization done by SEO experts and use the tools designed to improve the metrics. Lay your first focus on improving your Core Web Vitals and fix the URL’s that require the improvement. Once all these factors are met, the reports will yield you a clear insight about the changes to be made in your website. Once the website is well optimized, your chances of getting a better ranking improves in compliance with new algorithm.
