Page Experience Update
The Page Experience Update was a Google ranking change that rolled out on mobile from June to August 2021 and on desktop in early 2022. It combined Core Web Vitals with existing signals such as mobile-friendliness, HTTPS and avoiding intrusive pop-ups to reward pages that are pleasant to use.
What the update introduced
Google had used some user experience signals for years, but this update grouped them under one idea: page experience. The new part was Core Web Vitals, a set of metrics based on real Chrome user data that measure loading, responsiveness and visual stability.
The signals Google described as part of page experience were:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): how quickly the main content loads.
- Responsiveness: originally First Input Delay, replaced by Interaction to Next Paint in March 2024.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): how much the layout jumps around.
- Mobile-friendliness.
- Serving the page over HTTPS.
- No intrusive interstitials that block the content.
Safe browsing was listed at first but Google dropped it from the page experience signals later in 2021.
Other changes that came with it
Alongside the ranking change, Google removed the requirement for pages to use AMP to appear in the Top Stories carousel. Any page meeting Google News policies could now qualify, which reduced the incentive to build separate AMP versions.
How much it matters
Google has been clear that page experience is not a major factor compared with relevance and content quality. It has said that a page with great content can still rank well even with a poor page experience, and that page experience can make more difference when many pages are similarly relevant. In 2023 Google also explained that there is no single “page experience signal”: instead, several of its ranking systems take these aspects into account.
The practical value is often bigger for users than for rankings. Faster, more stable pages tend to keep visitors and convert them better.
How to improve page experience
- Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console for groups of slow URLs.
- Use PageSpeed Insights to see field data and specific fixes for a page.
- Optimise large images, reduce heavy scripts and set sizes for images and adverts to stop layout shifts.
- Remove pop-ups that cover the content on mobile, especially on arrival from search.
- Make sure every page loads over HTTPS without mixed-content warnings.
Common mistakes
- Chasing a perfect lab score while real-user field data stays poor.
- Expecting a speed fix alone to lift rankings for weak content.
- Testing only the homepage instead of templates that serve most traffic.
- Forgetting that field data in Search Console covers the previous 28 days, so improvements take several weeks to show.
Further reading: Google on page experience.
Key Takeaways
- The Page Experience Update rolled out on mobile in mid-2021 and desktop in early 2022.
- It added Core Web Vitals to existing signals like HTTPS and mobile-friendliness.
- INP replaced FID as the responsiveness metric in March 2024.
- Google says content relevance still outweighs page experience.
- Improving page experience usually helps users and conversions as much as rankings.
Related Terms
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