Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
The Page Experience signal
In May 2020, Google announced a new Page Experience signal that ‘measures aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page’.
It was rolled out in 2021 and includes:
- Core Web Vitals: These are a set of three specific factors that Google considers important for a web page’s overall user experience. To pass the overall Core Web Vitals assessment, a web page needs to meet the criteria for each of these three tests:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures page loading performance by marking the point in the page load timeline when the page’s main content has likely loaded.
- First Input Delay (FID), which gauges interactivity by timing how long it takes the browser to respond when a user first interacts with a page, such as clicking a link or a button.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which measures visual stability by tracking how much unexpected movement occurs in the web page’s content.
- Mobile-Friendly: The page must be optimized for mobile viewing. You can check whether your page is mobile-friendly using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool or Google Search Console.
- Safe Browsing: The page shouldn’t contain malicious (for example, malware) or deceptive (for example, phishing) content.
- HTTPS: The page should be served over HTTPS, which is a secure version of HTTP.
- No Intrusive Interstitials: This means that the content on the page should be easily accessible to the user and not hidden or blocked by pop-up elements or ads.
Google emphasizes that although page experience matters, the quality of the content is even more crucial. A page can still rank well if it has high-quality content, even if its page experience isn’t perfect. In reality, there’s some confusion about whether page experience is considered a ranking factor or a signal. It’s probably best to think of it as a signal that contributes to broader ranking factors.
Back to TopJoe Williams
Joe Williams teaches search engine optimization at Joe Wills. He holds a degree in Computing Informatics, and he’s been an SEO specialist for over 15 years. He’s consulted and trained many large blue-chip companies including The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and Sky. He's on a mission to make SEO easy, fun, and profitable. You can catch him on X and LinkedIn.
These walkthrough videos give clear, step-by-step demonstrations and guidance on how to apply key digital marketing concepts and strategies, and use industry-standard tools. While relevant to this module, you will not be assessed on this content.
