Google rolled out the page experience update from June to August 2021, so it’s live! Read on to understand what it means for your website and rankings.

• It’s new but not new
• The AMP advantage  is going away (finally)
• Overview of the page experience  ranking update
• FAQ: How does the Page Experience Ranking Update impact website rankings and SEO practices?

It’s New But Not New

Google is packaging many of the criteria that the ranking algorithm already used with some new page experience signals.

How does that change SEO? Not much. A website that runs well technically and offers a good user experience has always been a best practice. So this new update is not new news, per se.

Google clarified:

We will introduce a new signal that combines Core Web Vitals with our existing signals for page experience to provide a holistic picture of the quality of a user’s experience on a web page.

The ranking signals are*:

• Page load performance
• Responsiveness
• Visual stability
• Mobile-friendliness
• HTTPS
• No intrusive interstitials

*Note: Safe browsing was originally included in this list, but Google decided to remove it as a page experience ranking signal in August 2021.

“Evaluating page experience for a better web,” Google Webmaster Central Blog

If you have great content but not-so-great page experience factors, then you may still rank well. Google clarified:

While all of the components of page experience are important, we will prioritize pages with the best information overall, even if some aspects of page experience are subpar. A good page experience doesn’t override having great, relevant content. However, in cases where there are multiple pages that have similar content, page experience becomes much more important for visibility in Search.

Simply put, ranking ties in terms of content will go to the best page experience score. However, Google rep John Mueller clarified in August 2021 that the page experience algorithm update is “more than a tiebreaker ranking signal.”

The AMP Advantage Is Going Away (Finally)

In 2017 and then again in 2018, I predicted AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) would have diminishing value in the future. Overall, it has been a hassle for sites to put in place. Back in 2017, Google’s Gary Illyes said that if a site was fast enough, then AMP wouldn’t be necessary anyway.

Well, the time has come to say goodbye to AMP. With the new page experience ranking signal, news websites won’t be required to implement AMP to show up in the Top Stories carousel.

But Top Stories articles are required to meet page experience standards:

As part of this update, we’ll also incorporate the page experience metrics into our ranking criteria for the Top Stories feature in Search on mobile, and remove the AMP requirement from Top Stories eligibility. Google continues to support AMP, and will continue to link to AMP pages when available. …

When we roll out the page experience ranking update, we will also update the eligibility criteria for the Top Stories experience. AMP will no longer be necessary for stories to be featured in Top Stories on mobile; it will be open to any page.

Alongside this change, page experience will become a ranking factor in Top Stories, in addition to the many factors assessed. As before, pages must meet the Google News content policies to be eligible. Site owners who currently publish pages as AMP, or with an AMP version, will see no change in behavior – the AMP version will be what’s linked from Top Stories.

The bottom line here is if you can make your pages fast and offer a good user experience, you probably don’t need AMP. As a note, in a 5G nation, it isn’t needed, but some countries are still 2G, and AMP is useful as a solution.

If you cannot focus on page experience factors, then you will want to stick with good content and, reluctantly, AMP implementation for better mobile speed.

You will likely base your decision on how much effort you’ve already put into AMP, how much effort it will be to optimize page experience factors, what the Top Stories results actually look like after the new ranking signal and other reasons.

Of course, the ultimate decision isn’t really about page experience versus AMP. It’s about improving your website in a way that’s generally good for SEO. So yes, everyone should look at how to improve their page experience.

Overview of the Page Experience Ranking Update

As mentioned, the new page experience ranking algorithm looks at a combination of page experience factors (which are already part of the ranking algorithm) with what Google is calling “core web vitals” (which will be new factors).

Page Experience Factors

These are:

• Mobile-friendliness: Can mobile users easily use your site?
• HTTPS: Is your site’s connection secure?
• No intrusive interstitials: Can mobile users access a webpage’s main content easily when they click through from the search results?

Core Web Vitals

These new ranking factors are:

• Largest contentful paint: Is your webpage load time optimal?
• First input delay: Can users easily interact with the page?
• Cumulative layout shift: Are the elements on your webpage stable so that it doesn’t cause a bad user experience?

We explore all of these factors in our series on page experience:

1. What’s the Page Experience Update?
2. How to Make a Mobile-Friendly Site
3. Intrusive Interstitials & Why They’re Bad for SEO
4. HTTPS for Users and Ranking
5. Core Web Vitals Overview
6. Core Web Vitals: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
7. Core Web Vitals: FID (First Input Delay)
8. Core Web Vitals: CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

Also see our high-level Page Experience overview for CMOs.

FAQ: How does the Page Experience Ranking Update impact website rankings and SEO practices?

The Page Experience Ranking Update introduced by Google has transformed the landscape of website rankings and SEO practices. This update incorporates core web vitals into its algorithm, emphasizing user experience more than ever before. With an eye on optimizing search results for user satisfaction, it’s crucial to understand the implications of this update for your online presence.

Google now places a premium on user-centric metrics like page load performance, responsiveness, and visual stability. Websites that prioritize a seamless browsing experience will likely witness improved rankings, making it imperative for businesses to focus on enhancing these elements.

One key takeaway is that this update underscores the significance of mobile-friendliness. As a critical aspect of user experience, ensuring that your website is mobile-responsive has become essential. Sites that offer a smooth and intuitive experience on mobile devices are more likely to garner higher rankings and engagement, reflecting Google’s commitment to prioritizing user satisfaction.

Moreover, this update’s impact goes beyond rankings alone. It has reshaped SEO practices, highlighting the synergy between technical aspects and content quality. While great content remains pivotal, it’s complemented by a website’s ability to deliver that content seamlessly. Pages that load swiftly, respond promptly to user interactions, and maintain visual stability are rewarded in search results.

Transitioning to a post-update landscape requires a holistic approach. Implementing performance optimization measures, such as compressing images and minimizing code, can improve page experience. Regularly monitoring core web vital metrics and addressing any performance issues can provide a competitive edge.

The Page Experience Ranking Update reinforces the importance of user-centricity in the digital realm. It compels businesses to prioritize website performance, mobile-friendliness, and overall user experience. By embracing these changes and integrating them into SEO strategies, websites can position themselves for higher rankings and sustained online success.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Navigating the Page Experience Ranking Update

1. Understand the Core Web Vitals: Familiarize yourself with the three core web vitals – largest contentful paint, first input delay, and cumulative layout shift.
2. Assess Current Performance: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse to evaluate your website’s core web vital metrics.
3. Prioritize Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your website is responsive and offers a seamless experience on mobile devices.
4. Optimize Page Load Performance: Compress images, leverage browser caching, and minify code to improve page loading times.
5. Enhance Visual Stability: Prevent unexpected layout shifts by ensuring that page elements remain stable during loading.
6. Address Interactivity Delays: Optimize JavaScript and minimize render-blocking resources to reduce first input delay.
7. Implement HTTPS: Ensure your website’s connection is secure with HTTPS to enhance user trust and SEO.
8. Eliminate Intrusive Interstitials: Remove or redesign pop-ups that obstruct users’ access to main content.
9. Monitor Performance Continuously: Regularly track core web vital metrics using Google Search Console or other monitoring tools.
10. Utilize Tools and Plugins: Consider using performance optimization plugins and tools tailored to your website’s platform.
11. Prioritize User Experience: Strive to create valuable, engaging content that aligns with users’ search intent.
12. Focus on Mobile Usability: Test your website on various mobile devices to ensure a consistent and intuitive experience.
13. Conduct User Testing: Gather feedback from actual users to identify any areas for improvement in user experience.
14. Collaborate with Developers: Work closely with developers to implement technical optimizations and resolve performance issues.
15. Stay Informed: Keep up with updates from Google regarding the Page Experience Ranking Update and any subsequent changes.
16. Monitor Ranking Changes: Observe how your website’s rankings evolve after implementing page experience improvements.
17. Analyze Performance Data: Continuously analyze performance data and user behavior to fine-tune your optimizations.
18. Adapt and Iterate: As user expectations and search algorithms evolve, remain flexible and adaptable in your strategies.
19. Seek Expert Guidance: Consult with SEO experts and professionals to gain insights and recommendations tailored to your website.
20. Commit to Ongoing Improvement: Page experience optimization is an ongoing process; consistently refine and enhance your website’s user experience to maintain favorable rankings.

The post Page Experience: Google’s New User Experience Algorithm Update appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

In this article, let’s explore:

• When duplicate content is deceptive
• When your own site duplicates content
• What’s considered duplicate content?
• FAQ: How does duplicate content affect my website’s search engine rankings?

To start, it’s important to understand there are two types of duplicate content:

1. Duplicate content involving webpages on your site only
2. Duplicate content involving webpages on your site and other sites

When Duplicate Content is Deceptive

Let’s start with the deceptive type of duplicate content.

If you have content on your site that is duplicated on other sites, it lowers the quality of your website. That’s true even if you didn’t intend to deceive the search engines. Why would your pages rank if they’re pretty much the same as hundreds of other pages?

Worse, copied content could be seen as deceptive. That definitely can harm your search engine rankings. While Google does not have a “duplicate content penalty” per se, the search engine reserves the right to remove your pages from its index altogether.

In a help file, Google states:

Duplicate content on a site is not grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulate search engine results. … if our review indicated that you engaged in deceptive practices and your site has been removed from our search results, review your site carefully.

This usually happens when a website has scraped content. Some examples of scraped content, per Google, include:

• Sites that copy and republish content from other sites without adding any original content or value
• Sites that copy content from other sites, modify it slightly (for example, by substituting synonyms or using automated techniques), and republish it
• Sites that reproduce content feeds from other sites without providing some type of unique organization or benefit to the user

When Your Own Site Duplicates Content

Now let’s turn to a common problem for many: duplicate content within the website. If you have duplicate content within your site, it is not considered deceptive. And your site won’t suffer a Google penalty or be in danger of removal.

To support that, let’s go back to the Google help file referenced earlier, which says:

Duplicate content on a site is not grounds for action on that site unless it appears that the intent of the duplicate content is to be deceptive and manipulate search engine results.

Google’s John Mueller discusses duplicate content in this video, saying it’s not a negative ranking factor:

However, duplicate content on your site can still impact rankings. When you have duplicate content on your website, Google may filter out some of your webpages from the search results. Filtered means they won’t rank.

Here’s how that works: When Google is presented with two webpages that appear to be too similar in content, Google picks the page it believes to be the best for that query and leaves the other page out of the results.

And the page that Google picks may or may not be the page that you want showing up in the search results for a particular keyword.

In the video above, Mueller confirms:

“With that kind of duplicate content it’s not so much that there’s a negative score associated with it. It’s more that, if we find exactly the same information on multiple pages on the web, and someone searches specifically for that piece of information, then we’ll try to find the best matching page.

So if you have the same content on multiple pages then we won’t show all of these pages. We’ll try to pick one of them and show that. So it’s not that there’s any negative signal associated with that. In a lot of cases that’s kind of normal that you have some amount of shared content across some of the pages.”

Another way duplicate content can impact your site is by lowering the overall quality of the site. Having 1 million faceted search pages certainly lowers rankings. Is it a penalty if an algorithm determines you are low quality? I would argue yes.

So, What’s Considered Duplicate Content?

Google defines duplicate content as:

Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.

Reputable sites are not engaged in scraping, so most website publishers create duplicate content inadvertently. A long list of issues could result in duplicate content, so it’s worth understanding.

Duplicate content can be a result of common issues such as:

• Two site versions
• A separate mobile site
• Trailing slashes on URLs
• CMS problems
• Meta information duplication
• Similar content
• Boilerplate content
• Parameterized pages
• Product descriptions
• Content syndication

To learn more, read our in-depth duplicate content article to understand how to handle each of these root causes.

So, to sum up: Is duplicate content bad for search engine rankings? In most cases, yes. If you care about having better control over which webpages rank in Google, then you’ll want to ensure that the content on your website is original.

Our team of experts provides content services and SEO consulting to help improve your search rankings. Reach out to us today for a free estimate.

FAQ: How does duplicate content affect my website’s search engine rankings?

Duplicate content—the presence of identical or substantially similar content across multiple website pages—can significantly influence how search engines evaluate and rank your web pages. This issue stems from search engines’ commitment to delivering diverse and relevant user results. When search engines detect identical content, they grapple with deciding which version to show in search results, often leading to unfavorable outcomes for your rankings.

Google and other search engines prioritize unique, high-quality content that provides value to users. Duplicate content, however, dilutes this commitment by fragmenting the relevance and originality of your content across various pages. Consequently, search engines might choose to rank a single version of your content, relegating duplicates to lower positions or excluding them altogether. This dilution can thwart your efforts to secure prominent search engine rankings and reduce the visibility of your website.

Beyond these direct ranking concerns, duplicate content can also lead to missed opportunities for link consolidation. Inbound links are vital for SEO, as they signify the authority and credibility of your website. When identical content exists on multiple pages, these valuable links might get dispersed among various versions rather than accumulating to bolster the authority of a single, consolidated page. This decentralized link equity can hinder your overall SEO strategy and hinder your website’s ability to compete effectively in search results.

To address these issues, consider implementing these expert insights. First, conduct regular content audits to identify and consolidate duplicate content. Utilize canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page to search engines. Additionally, focus on crafting compelling, original content that provides unique value to your audience. Investing in creating engaging and informative material can mitigate the risks of duplicate content and strengthen your website’s search engine rankings.

Duplicate content poses a substantial threat to your website’s search engine rankings. By understanding the intricacies of this issue and adopting strategic measures, you can enhance your website’s visibility, authority, and overall performance in search engine results.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Address Duplicate Content for Improved Search Engine Rankings

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Content Audit: Identify duplicate content on your website using specialized tools or manual analysis.
2. Prioritize Quality Content Creation: Focus on generating original, valuable content that caters to your target audience’s needs.
3. Implement Canonical Tags: Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page, helping search engines understand your content hierarchy.
4. Consolidate Similar Pages: Merge pages with duplicate content into a single authoritative page to concentrate link equity and improve rankings.
5. Use 301 Redirects: If necessary, set up 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the preferred page version.
6. Utilize URL Parameters: Leverage URL parameters to ensure dynamic content variations are not mistaken for duplicates.
7. Employ Noindex Tags: For non-essential duplicate pages, use noindex tags to prevent search engines from indexing them.
8. Syndicate Carefully: If syndicating content, use canonical tags or noindex tags to specify the original content source.
9. Optimize Product Descriptions: E-commerce websites should craft unique product descriptions to evade common duplicate content issues.
10. Create Authoritative Backlinks: Earn high-quality backlinks to the preferred version of your content to bolster its authority.
11. Regularly Monitor Indexing: Keep tabs on how search engines index your pages and make necessary adjustments.
12. Leverage Google Search Console: Utilize this tool to identify and rectify duplicate content issues Google encounters.
13. Prioritize User Experience: Design your website intuitively, ensuring users can easily navigate to the desired content.
14. Utilize 404 and 410 Status Codes: Properly handle pages that are no longer relevant by using appropriate status codes.
15. Educate Your Team: If you have content contributors, educate them about duplicate content risks and prevention techniques.
16. Stay Updated: Keep abreast of search engine algorithm changes to adapt your strategy accordingly.
17. Engage in Guest Posting Carefully: If guest posting, ensure the content is exclusive and not duplicated across multiple websites.
18. Regularly Review Syndication Partners: If you syndicate content, verify that your partners follow best practices to avoid duplication.
19. Utilize Webmaster Guidelines: Follow search engine guidelines for best practices to maintain healthy SEO practices.
20. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor your website’s performance, rankings, and duplicate content issues, adjusting your strategy as needed.

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