Everything You Need to Know about Google’s May 2021 Page Experience Update

With this new algorithm update set to launch in May 2021, the first of the latest ranking factors is loading. In this context, Google will measure perceived load speed, which is the point in the site’s page loading timeline when the core content is likely to be loaded and when the average user considers the “beginning” of the page loading. 

This metric is fundamental because users want to physically see that the page is loading and things are happening on their screen, even if it’s just for a brief moment. Any longer than 2.5 seconds and you risk creating a bad experience for that particular visitor. 

Think of your website as a representation and a reflection of your business. A sloppy, poorly-functioning, and slow website can serve as a reflection of your company, its products and services, and your attention to detail as an organization. 

To put it another way — if you own a retail store with a brick and mortar location, ask yourself this question: Can you afford to lose all of your foot traffic due to long lines and a poor shopping experience? No? That’s what we thought. The same logic applies to your website; the longer the user has to wait, the more agitated they become, and their experience will soon turn sour. 

As you can see in the example below, directly from Google’s internal research, as page load times jump from zero to ten seconds, particularly on mobile devices, the likelihood of visitors to bounce increases by a whopping 123%.

Second, Google’s latest update will be closely examining site interactivity. What this means is the time from when a site visitor first interacts with a page, whether it’s a click or a tap, to the time when the browser begins processing that user’s physical interaction with the page.

As you can see below, Google considers FID under 100 milliseconds for at least 75% of your site’s pages to be good, and anything over 300 ms is bad and can negatively impact your users’  experience along with your ranking in the search results. But exactly what does that mean, and precisely how fast is that? 

Let’s put it in perspective — the average human eye can blink in a mere 100 milliseconds. Talk about “happening in the blink of an eye!”

Last, but certainly not least, is visual stability. This signal has to do with preventing any unexpected (and annoying) movement of the page content while users are on your site. Google wants to ensure that users have an easy, enjoyable experience while digesting your site’s content. 

Based on Google’s Core Web Vitals report, you want to be sure that your store’s pages maintain a CLS score of less than 0.1 in order to create a positive page experience for visitors. If your content is not visually stable, especially for mobile users, you’re likely going to suffer in the search rankings. Let’s take a look at what this truly means: 

In the example above provided by Google, did you notice how the user attempted to click “No, go back” to adjust their order, but due to a pop-up, the CTA buttons got pushed down, which caused the user to submit their order unintentionally? 

This is precisely what the Cumulative Layout Shift signal seeks to prevent to help create a more positive, seamless shopping experience for the everyday user.