SEO News You Can Use: Google Reveals Changes to Page Experience Scoring at SEODay

Google Webmaster Trends Analyst, John Mueller, discussed improvements to the search engine’s scoring system and the effect of page experience on rankings during an online session at SEODay 2022, an annual event hosting leading global search engine optimization (SEO) speakers.

Search Engine Journal reported various modifications, one of which is that Google now bases desktop search results on a site’s desktop experience and mobile search results on a site’s mobile experience.

Additionally, Mueller talked about the three key indicators the search engine considers when calculating experience scores: largest contentful paint (LCP), first input delay (FID) and cumulative layout shift (CLS).

“Interactivity to next page,” often known as INP, is a new page experience statistic that Google has also added.

Although Mueller made it clear that INP is currently not a direct ranking component, it could be a potential factor in the future.

He also spoke of the following factors:

• Search Console Insights – Users can create bespoke reports and obtain a fresh perspective on data by using Analytics and Search Console data using tools like BigQuery or Data Studio. Mueller noted that Google is also enhancing its Search Console APIs, enabling customers to integrate them with code on their websites, which could help keep track of popular searches and determine whether certain URLs are indexed.
• Videos and Images in Search – Due to the surge in popularity of videos and authentic imagery in online searches, Google now provides a WordPress plugin to help users generate web stories, a series of pages comprising videos.
• Authentic Product Reviews – The global market for eCommerce has been growing at an immense rate, so much so that it is anticipated to top $5.5 trillion globally this year. Therefore, to help better serve online buyers, Google incorporates what Mueller called “authentic reviews.” Algorithm updates will now also focus on ranking product reviews.

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