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Core Web Vitals Google Update – Coming May 2021

Core Web Vitals Google Update – Coming May 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

The working world all but ground to a halt in 2020, but some businesses were better equipped than others to keep running and delivering their products and services. One such business was Google, and in some ways, they have truly benefitted from more people being at home and browsing online – because more searches equals more data, more data impressions and more to work with.

Google are continuing with their usual regular Google update schedule through 2021, it’s to be expected. The most recent update which has been publicly announced is to take place in May 2021, and there’s one major change – relating to Core Web Vitals.

What Are The Latest Google Changes?

The May Google update was technically announced in May 2020; it’s just that now they’re giving a date to it going live.

This change refers to the way Google ranks searches and is updating its criteria for high rankings to include page experience signals; that is, the way a website’s pages work as well as the content they include. Three of these signals are ‘Core Web Vitals’ and the other three are UX (User Experience) metrics.

This essentially means that websites are no longer just given a high ranking based on their content’s quality, quantity and relevancy, but also on its user experience. Whilst not completely confirmed yet, it’s also planned that Google will offer some kind of visual representation next to results who perform well on Core Web Vitals metrics – likely a small icon or different colour result.

The Google Core Web Vitals update means that if not already included in digital marketing strategics, marketers and developers need to move to include the optimisation of webpages into their plans, in order to stay well-ranked for those searching for them, their industry, their niche and their products or services.

What Are Core Web Vitals?

Google’s Core Web Vitals are three metrics that measure the performance of a webpage. These metrics are:

  • Speed of loading – The LCP (Largest Contentful Paint). This measures the time it takes for the main content on any given page to load. The ideal LCP for a Google ranking needs to be quicker than 2.5 seconds.
  • Interactivity opportunities – The FID (First Input Delay). This measures the time it takes for a page to become interactive. The ideal FID for a Google ranking needs to be less than 100 milliseconds.
  • Visual layout shifting – The CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift). This measures the amount of unexpected shifts of page layout, if any. The ideal CLS for a Google ranking needs to be less than 0.1.

What Are Ranking Signals?

Ranking Signals are all of the signs that a website gives to Google in order to justify and assert its place in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). There are many of these, and each tells Google’s algorithm what a website is about, how current it is, how relevant it is to various search terms, and how trusted it is, amongst other things. In the case of Google’s May 2021 update, the Core Web Vitals will be joining four existing Ranking Signals related to UX. These are:

  • Mobile responsive – how quick and well formatted the website is to smaller device access
  • Safety measures – that the website doesn’t include any deceptive or malicious code or threats
  • HTTPS security – the site is secured and delivered over HTTPS protocol
  • No intrusive interstitials – that the page is optimised for easy accessibility

Why Is This Google Update Important To Businesses?

Google is the biggest search engine in the world and appears in many forms other than just on google.com – so if a business’ web presence is likely to fall down the rankings as a result of Google updates, it needs to be rectified, quickly. At present, only around 15% of websites would fit the new guidelines well, but that’s not to say that the standards are unrealistic.

Businesses can view this Google update as an opportunity to improve; not just up search rankings but also in their wider UX online.

What Can My Business Do In Preparation For This Google Update?

Google had released tools for businesses to prepare for this update back in May 2020, but they’re still available to access for any who haven’t implemented them already.

If work into preparation for the Core Web Vitals update is not already underway by your digital marketing team, it needs to be begun as a priority. If you don’t have a specialist supporting you with your business website, our web designers at Woya Digital would be more than happy to help!

Google’s Site Console report for Core Web Vitals allows businesses to gain a basic overview of website performance against the key three metrics, to highlight any areas for improvement and offer explanations for any issues. From here, the PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse tools can help to fix any identified issues. What’s more, web.dev has a whole directory of tools relevant to identifying and improving website performance related to Google Core Web Vitals.

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is another, albeit now external to Google, tools for businesses to improve on UX metrics with their websites. Businesses who are existing AMP Publishers can use the new AMP Page Experience Guide for diagnostic advice relating to Google Core Web Vitals. Google continues to support AMP content in its search results and says itself that the AMP software helps users “achieve great page experiences”.

Why Do Google Keep Making Changes?

Google has always been focused on being the best search engine in the world. That aim is continuing even through their market dominance.

Every time a new search is made on Google (and that’s about 3.5 billion times a day), their developers gain new data on how best to optimise results and improve their search experience – and including Core Web Vitals in their ranking signals is another way to do just that.

Woya Digital is a digital marketing agency made up of experts in our various fields. With a Woya Pay Monthly Website Package, we provide you a rapid solution to refresh your online presence and really impress! We make business growth through digital marketing, affordable for any business!

 

 

 

 

New website launch aimed at South American Adventurers by Woya

New website launch aimed at South American Adventurers by Woya

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Some projects are more exciting than others, so when we were approached by a Chichester business looking for website design to support a project in Bolivia, South America, we were excited to know more. Even better was that the business actively supports the well known and award winning local vision charity ANDEAN MEDICAL MISSION (AMM).

One of the more difficult elements of most web design projects is getting quality content and imagery. However vAMMos and AMM have been on charity expeditions and trips to Bolivia for many years, so we had more than enough fantastic text, images and even video content to fill the website many times over.

vAMMos provides English speaking bespoke adventure tours in Bolivia, South America, exploring the towering snow capped Andean mountains or the winding rivers of the Bolivian Amazon. Over the last 6 years Dave and his team have been providing the logistics and support to safely position surgical teams into remote locations to carry out amazing sight restoration work in the Bolivian Amazon. Their contacts and knowledge, combined with British standards, make planning an adventure of a lifetime a safe and enjoyable experience. They provide a strong warning to adventurers that they don’t offer package holidays.

  • “We don’t do package holidays, but we do like working with guests who want to do something for the first time. How many people have walked the length of a river from start to finish? Do you want to make a trek that hasn’t been done before? Cycle or climb a hidden mountain or swim in secret rivers and lakes. Are you raising money for your favourite charity or finding the real you? Talk to us about it. We love adventure!”

Chichester business looking for website design

One critical area for this website design project was ensuring that the website was fully visible and speedy as a mobile website. The concept of working in poor signal areas such as Bolivia made this more essential than normal. With over 70% of website visitors and views coming via a mobile phone.

We know vAMMos is delighted with the end results following this kind review on Google:

  • “We loved working with the team at Woya Digital. Very professional and they built us a website just as we wanted. We spent lots of time discussing ideas and we made many changes in order to get it just right. I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Great value as well. I went with a monthly option where they do all the updates for me and I can get on with running my tours whilst they promote the site for me. Definitely call them.”

If you are a Chichester business looking for website design, Woya Digital could be just the solution with an effective business website. Simply call us or even schedule a call at a convenient time to suit you.

About the Andean Medical Mission
vAMMos supports the work of the Andean Medical Mission (AMM) in their efforts to eliminate avoidable blindness in Northern Bolivia. The amazing surgeons and support teams travel every year to remote villages where they carry out sight saving operations free of charge, for the many blind people living in the Amazon. Let’s speak about fundraising for AMM.