Google recently announced a new factor that will influence search engine rankings: user experience. In short, if users have a negative experience while browsing, it is possible that the problematic pages will no longer be displayed in the main results. The new factor will come into effect in 2021, so web developers will have plenty of time to adapt to the changes.

What exactly is user experience?

The user experience is closely related to elements such as page loading speed, the adaptability of the website depending on the device from which it is accessed, the security of the pages (HTTPS), the presence of intrusive ads and the interaction that users have with the website. Therefore, optimizing these elements will not only improve the browsing experience, regardless of the browser or the type of device used, but will help websites evolve according to user expectations. All these are key elements for the success of the business, because users will be able to interact more with the brand and at the same time this will also be felt from the perspective of conversions.

Below is a graphic provided by Google that explains the elements that make up the new algorithm:

Loading

To provide the best user experience, loading should take less than 2.5 seconds.

Interactivity

The interactivity criterion measures the time period between the first interaction with the website (for example, accessing a link or a button) and the moment when the browser responds to that action). The ideal period of interactivity is less than 100 milliseconds.

Visual stability

As for visual stability, the criterion refers to the movement made by a web page after loading. For example, you don’t want the order of the elements to suddenly change the moment you place an order. Another example that shows the lack of visual stability: let’s say you click on a button and after just a few milliseconds, the button will move a few centimeters higher, just like in the situation below:

Exceptions to the rule

The good news is that Google still values ​​quality content, even if it is displayed on pages that do not meet the above conditions. On the other hand, user experience is important because it aims to satisfy the user’s needs. So, regardless of whether your website will be affected by the new algorithm or not, you should pay special attention to this criterion!

We can see below an example of not, namely a website that will certainly be affected by the new algorithm. As you can see, the content is not arranged in an orderly structure, and the side column seems detached from another story. Although it cannot be seen in the image, the website contains a lot of animations, low quality images and many links. Although the most artistic of nature might say that it is an abstract and non-conformist approach, SEO experts certainly judge the usability of the website.

The goal pursued by the new algorithm is to put in the foreground an easy, pleasant and qualitative navigation. Therefore, websites that offer a good experience will rank higher, at the expense of those that offer low usability.

Ways of optimization

To begin with, we must specify that by user experience, Google does not refer to all the pages that belong to a website. Certainly, if the main pages are made according to this criterion, but only a few are slightly weaker from the point of view of usability, the algorithm will not penalize the entire website. Here are some ways you can improve a user’s browsing experience.

Upload speed

If you have a website that is hard to load, imagine the wrong impression this aspect can leave on your brand.

Even more, did you know that a good part of users leave a mobile session if the accessed website does not load in less than three seconds? Surprising? Not at all. And you would react the same way if you went through a similar situation! So… how can you know the load time of your website, especially on mobile devices?

The Test my site tool gives you detailed information about features such as: website performance, loading speed on mobile phones, monthly evolution of loading speed, loading speeds of competing websites and the impact this feature has on your business .

Design errors?

To find the needle in the haystack, you will need an analysis of heat maps. You can do this with the free tool Hotjar.

Let’s take the example above! As you can see, most of the users click on the search button and on the second category in the menu. These elements are well positioned and do not seem to have a design problem. But let’s look more carefully than that! Users also accessed the image from the slider. A design error could be considered the lack of active links on the slider. It could have been downright frustrating, right?

Conclusion

User experience will be an increasingly important criterion for Google’s algorithms. If a website enjoys popularity among users, search engines will certainly notice this, so they will rank it in a higher position. On the other hand, if another website will be avoided by a good part of the people, Google will classify it in a lower position. However, we must be grateful that the algorithm announcement was made early, so we will have time to adapt to the new changes. Do you also know ways to optimize website usability? Do not hesitate to share them with us!