Google is the largest search engine in the world, with millions of people using it every day to find what they’re looking for. But with this large amount of traffic comes challenges for website owners to have to stay up to date with the latest changes in the ranking systems to obtain the highest ranking positions. However, with changes from Google and the retirement of four ranking systems: the page experience system, mobile-friendly ranking system, page speed system, and secure sites system it is more important than ever to make sure you are doing what you can to maintain ranking positions. To help you understand these changes and how they can impact your ranking position we will discuss each of these retired ranking systems and how this could affect your website’s ranking on Google.
1. Page experience system
The page experience system is about the website’s user experience, including the loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Google uses the Core Web Vitals tools to measure the user experience on a website and determines your ranking positions. This has now been updated to ensure websites provide an enjoyable experience for the customer with more than just content. With overall page design, content and loading time all influencing the ranking position of your website, it is important to make sure you’re giving the best user experience to customers. But how can you achieve this? Many businesses are opting for either an in-house marketing team to achieve higher ranking positions or using the number one SEO agency London or essex have to offer with their expertise to achieve outstanding results.
2. Mobile-friendly ranking system
Another ranking system that Google retired is the mobile-friendly ranking system. Previously, Google used this ranking system to evaluate if the website was optimised for mobile devices. This ranking system is no longer separate from the Google ranking system, as the majority of the searches are mobile-based at present. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it will not rank well on Google as most searchers use Google on their mobile devices. To combat this, digital marketers and SEO agencies will recommend a responsive design when building a website. This means that the overall design will change depending on the device your audience is viewing it from. This will aid in improving both user experience and search rankings over time.
3. Page speed system
Google retired the page speed ranking system in early 2018, and it highlighted an important message. Website load time plays a significant role in the website’s ranking regardless of the size of your business or the audience. If your website takes too much time to load, it will not get a great ranking on Google, and users may not even choose to view your website. A score of 90 or above on Google’s Page Speed Insights is considered excellent for a website. When a site takes too long to load, you will often see a higher bounce rate on the landing page of your website. Google counts a bounce rate as someone who opens your website and only views one page without interacting.
4. Secure sites system
The secure site ranking system determined whether a website had an SSL certificate. In August 2014, Google called for all websites to have an SSL certificate, as this means the website is secure and hackers can’t easily access information. Google used to count this as a ranking factor to ensure the safety and security of its users. However, Google has made it clear that this ranking system has now been retired. It is important to note however, that your website may still benefit in terms of search rankings by having an SSL implemented as it provides your users with peace of mind surrounding the security of your website and the information that they are inputting.
Google is always updating its ranking systems to ensure users get the best experience when using their search engine. As a website owner, it is important to stay up to date with changes in Google’s ranking system or enlist the help of a digital marketing agency near you that can help you to maintain the overall health of your website.
The retirement of the page experience system, mobile-friendly ranking system, page speed system, and secure site system is a reminder that website owners need to maintain the quality of their website to rank well on Google and other search engines. With the new Page Experience update, website owners should ensure that their website is user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and fast-loading to provide an excellent user experience. By paying attention to these factors, website owners can ensure they rank well on Google and enhance their user experience.
Unsure of how you can leverage these new changes to your advantage? Get in touch with the number one Essex SEO agency and see how we can benefit you!
