Google pushes out search algorithm updates, the mechanics behind the results of a search, all the time. They make updates so often that the majority of them are hardly worth mentioning. However, last May Google announced an update that is bound to shake up the SERPs (search engine results pages) and have an impact on Clopay Garage Door dealers.
Google is calling the update the “Page Experience Update”. It has the potential to have such an impact that they are rolling it out gradually beginning in mid-June. This means you still have time to prepare your website and make the changes needed to take advantage of the update and increase your website traffic.
What’s in Google’s Page Experience Update?
Google Search has always been focused on generating relevant and authoritative results. As search technology has developed over the years, we have come to expect much more from our search engines. We expect them to be an extension of a human brain, and they need to function as such.
Part of that functionality is a positive user experience. We don’t want to fight to get search results we want, and we expect the search engine to deliver the best possible answer and the most delightful user experience possible. It is this expectation that is behind the new page experience update from Google.
The Details of Google’s Page Experience Update
In the update, there will be several page experience signals that Google will be looking for and ranking. This includes core web vitals, mobile friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS and no intrusive interstitials. The data of every site will be collected, analyzed and shown in a new all-encompassing page experience report.
Using the report, you can see the potential problems that Google has identified. You’ll know where the problem is occurring, as well as items you can improve to increase your ranking.
Simply put, sites with a better page experience will rank better.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
One new aspect to the scoring algorithm is Core Web Vitals.
Factors included in the Core Web Vitals are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures page load performance and speed
- First Input Delay (FID) – Measures speed of interactivity (how fast the page responds to your actions)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Measures visual shifts/stability (unexpected movements of visuals or text on the page)
These are factors that haven’t been assessed or so closely scrutinized in the past. Most businesses don’t currently consider these details about their website, and the results have the potential to radically change their rankings in search results.
How Will the Update Affect Your Business?
Year over year, websites are increasingly important for businesses. Google has become the front door for many businesses. With only 25% of searchers venturing beyond the first page of the SERPs, fighting for real estate on the first page has turned into a modern-day battle royale.
This new Google update has opened up a new concern for business owners. The page experience is another factor businesses have to worry about to gain their fair share of organic traffic.
With a lack of resources, many small businesses face an uphill battle to meet Google’s standards. Unless your business is already well known within the area, finding new customers means you need your website to pop up for searches like “garage door business near me.”
Businesses will need to adjust their strategy in light of these updates and changes. You need to identify opportunities to improve your website and ranking, and take steps to support and optimize your site.
SEO and the Clopay Dealers
Search engine optimization is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a website through organic search engine results.
The higher you rank in the search engine results pages means more website traffic. The better you can optimize your website to answer customer questions, deliver the information they are looking for, and provide a fantastic customer experience, the more people will find you in search results.
This seems simple, but it’s one of those things that’s easier said than done.
Even as Google is making updates to their search algorithm, it is putting additional relevance and emphasis on your core web ranking factors like SEO. Keywords, website authority and relevance, backlinks, metadata, internal linking, etc., are all important, but they take on more importance as Google adds new ranking factors like Core Web Vitals that you may not be able to adjust as easily to accommodate.
What You Can Do with the New Update
Now more than ever you need trusted experts to manage your website and optimize your SEO. Clopay has trusted GO2 Partners for their dealers’ websites and marketing efforts, and for good reason — we are experts in the garage door industry. In preparation for the Google update, GO2 Partners has rolled out:
- An SEO program
- New templates dedicated to page experience
- Customized reporting to help every site further optimize
GO2 is here to help. We’re committed to your success. Reach out to learn how your business can benefit from the Page Experience Update and not fall victim to decreased SERP rankings.
