Google has announced that in 2021, we will be seeing a new form of algorithm which relies on website page experience playing a large factor in the ranking of a website.
Whilst SEO is a on-going journey and not one to be rushed, it’s important to assess these changes early to start assessing what you may need to update within your business and website.
What is a good page experience?
Whilst it sounds simple, a good experience relies on how people act on your website. It may not necessarily be how you use your website or see it being done, however it’s important to assess the user’s experience and process of the journey in order to progress.
From mobile to desktop, the transition should be easy and simple. A bad page experience in Google’s own words could “stand in the way of a person being able to find the valuable information on a page.” You will always want your business to achieve it’s purpose in this.
It relies on information being current, relevant, reliable and without suspicious purposes. Fast loading, secure and visible websites also contribute.
Why is this important to SEO?
Google will be assessing websites differently in 2021 on the positions they place. The relevance of a well used easy interface will play a bigger part in SEO algorithms than ever before. It will be using ‘user queries’ as precedent over brand names, meaning if your website receives traffic that sticks around consistently for it’s keyword, it will rank better than one that ‘shouldn’t really be there.’ This means your Domain Authority may not be the only factor to consider.
Your content must align with a great experience, it sounds easy in practice but we’ve all encountered websites that frustrate us due to the customer experience. Your call to action or sales journey should result in the outcome you desire, if it’s not consistently performing, you need to assess what’s stopping users from progressing further.
The new SEO algorithm update wants to rank websites based on the ease they offer to visitors, not the dominance in a market.
What to look at?
Consider items like site speed, is your hosting good enough to handle a short load time? Easy to use websites need to be fast!
Look at competitors, why are they ranking above you? Is it because their website is actually easier to use and gives information far easier – does the imagery sell itself better than your stock photo? Look at what other’s are doing and understand the experience aspect.
Go back to basics with the experience, use a heat map tool to look at what your customers do, not what you see. This means you can assess how people are using your site and see if there’s any changes you can implement that may make the page usage more efficient and effective in results and leads.
To summarise, we have six months to go until we see the change on the algorithm front but it’s always important to be ahead of the curve when it comes to your website’s SEO. Speak to our Northampton team today to discuss your websites position on Google.
