PWA changes the rules of the game, Google with them
As of May 2021, the current equation will change to evaluate which pages Google displays in the first positions. What’s behind that? New Google criteria primarily evaluate the clarity and speed of page loading.
A new era called Core Web Vitals
All SEO gurus, along with developers, should be aware of it now. In addition to the existing criteria, which represent several established rules to which we are all accustomed, several completely new and … authoritative ones will be added. They are called Core Web Vitals and will be added to the classic evaluation of parameters such as mobile friendly experience, safe browsing of the site, use of the HTTPS protocol, or evaluation of disturbing aspects that discourage visitors.
There are
Largest Contentful Paint
It evaluates how long it will take for the resulting page to load so that the basic visual aspects that accompany the core of the site are visible. This time delay should not exceed 2.5 seconds.
First Input Delay
Below 100 milliseconds, basic interactive page elements should render correctly. These mean, for example, the possibility of clicking on links or the availability of the option to start searching for keywords on a given page.
Cumulative Layout Shift
Below this designation lies the measurement of the visual stability of the website. This is a metric that indicates the stability of the page’s appearance during rendering. Google thus prioritizes those pages that render the visitor a visual layout of the visitor in less than 500 milliseconds and display what the user intended after that click.
So how can you best respond to these changes? It’s relatively easy. You are offered a solution with the help of PWA (Progressive Web Applicatons), whose options you can see on the following mind map.
The most important advantages of PWA in points:
- SEO improvements
- improving the conversion rate
- uses a headless approach
- uses the latest technology
- maximizes web speed
- replacement of mobile apps by PWAs
- UX and CX improvements to your site
As Google itself states, their main goal and mission is to help users find the highest quality and most relevant pages on the web. The goal of these updates is to deliver the most user-friendly search, and to help all Google users find exactly what they’re looking for.
And how are you doing with optimizing your site? With this analytics tool from Google, you can test whether your site is in compliance with the new rules.
From the following image, you can compare the resulting metrics of three different demos:
