65% of companies view traffic and lead acquisition as their top marketing hurdles. Attracting customers to your website is crucial. If organic search is a primary lead generation tool for you, you must stay informed about Google’s 2021 algorithm update. This update will significantly influence your page’s ranking performance.
Whether you depend on social media or other channels for lead generation, the upcoming 2021 Google SEO algorithm update could still impact your numbers. These updates are designed to reward businesses that enhance the overall user experience on their websites. Websites that invest in optimized user experiences can see revenue improvements of up to 400%. This shouldn’t be surprising—easier navigation translates to a higher likelihood of converting visitors into paying customers, and potentially repeat customers.
While the update may initially seem daunting, this blog will distill the key takeaways. Continue reading to understand the implications of the 2021 Google algorithm update and the steps you should take to ensure compliance:
Algorithm updates, unlike static software updates, are typically dynamic. Google continuously makes adjustments that influence how it ranks websites. While most updates are not preannounced, marketers and SEO experts use tracking tools to adapt their sites accordingly.
When Google pre-announces updates, it often does so to encourage high-ranking sites to comply. This usually results in sites adapting before the updates are implemented. Past updates have primarily focused on enhancing trust in Google’s search results and user experience, with some targeting mobile site experiences. Notably, during the Chrome browser launch, Google announced that non-HTTPS sites would no longer be considered secure, impacting their rankings.
The 2021 Google algorithm update primarily focuses on user experience, originally scheduled for January before being postponed to May. The update will affect site rankings and will feature visual flags to identify websites offering the best page experience. This ensures visitors not only find relevant content but also have a seamless experience accessing it.
For a website to be considered as offering a great experience, it should:
Common issues include poor content, design, and development choices. Intrusive pop-ups, for example, can harm user experience. Low-quality and unnecessary pages also work against you. Alongside visual flags, the 2021 Google algorithm update includes Core Web Vitals as search signals for page experience.
Core Web Vitals measure how quickly a page becomes usable to a customer. These include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Setting up Google Search Console is necessary to track Core Web Vitals, as it reveals how Google perceives your website.
Google Search Console flags pages with issues based on severity, helping you comply with the 2021 Google algorithm update. Deep-rooted issues are flagged in red, slight improvements in yellow, and good performance in green.
Largest Contentful Paint measures the time it takes for a visitor to see the majority of your website’s content. Google Search Console indicates this as the number of seconds it takes for your page to load. If many pages on your site take a long time to load content, they will perform poorly for this Core Web Vital.
Cumulative Layout Shift measures how much a loaded page’s elements move after the first half-second of interaction. If elements move after the page loads, the page could perform poorly in this area.
First Input Delay measures the delay before visitors can start interacting with page content. Interactions measured in milliseconds can be challenging to assess without Google Search Console.
Google PageSpeed Insights can provide quick insights into your site’s performance without needing Google Search Console. However, the score displayed is an opportunity score, not a pass/fail rating.
Less than 15% of sites meet the Core Web Vitals Benchmark. Meeting these benchmarks is crucial for businesses relying heavily on organic search or social media marketing. Etsy and eBay are examples of sites that have invested in compliance, offering quick content shifts, fast loading, and a frictionless interaction experience.
Failing to invest in good hosting and server environments can undermine performance in Core Web Vitals. Adding a CDN to your hosting environment or upgrading to a hosting environment with a CDN can improve performance.
The type of videos and images on your site will determine your readiness for Google’s 2021 SEO algorithm update. To optimize image files, follow best practices. Avoid using videos above the fold and use image placeholders for video thumbnails.
Brands on platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce may need to focus on optimizing videos, images, themes, and templates. Choosing the right e-commerce platform is essential for such brands.
Optimizing apps is also crucial, as heavy reliance on apps can affect load time. Remove unnecessary apps and audit those needed for load speed and responsiveness.
Template choices will impact your site’s performance, as Core Web Vitals are URL-specific. Focus on templates used across high-ranking pages for the best results.
Review and remove any unused third-party cookies from your website to improve performance.
An optimized user experience will significantly enhance your site’s conversion rate. With the May updates aiming to improve experience, your business stands to gain a lot. Making changes to your site in line with Google’s 2021 algorithm update will yield long-term results. Audit your site today to ensure it’s ready for this impending update.
