2021 is going to be a year that will change a large part of SEO as we know it. This is actually official news since Google announced that it will make changes based on the importance of user experience. This means that the user’s interaction will be analyzed by Google and be given much higher importance.
The new update makes sense and many SEO specialists expected it. For years now, Google has been constantly improving its algorithm to take user experience into account. It all started with mobile optimization and continued with page load speed, which is nowadays seen as a fatal SEO mistake made by many site owners.
According to Google, “great page experiences enable people to get more done and engage more deeply.” We cannot argue with that and it is now a certainty that 2021 will be all about the experience that is created for site visitors.
In order to help businesses, get ready for the upcoming 2021 Google search engine update, here are some of the page experience elements that you have to focus on. By doing this, you will be able to stand out and get higher rankings after the update is live.
Providing Relevant Website Content
It is practically impossible to offer a good user experience on your site when the content that you publish is not relevant for the visitor. Simply put, when someone lands on your site, he/she needs to find exactly the information that was promised or what was expected. If you manage to do this, Google will take notice and will increase the authority of your website. For instance, on BloggingTub.com, you can add content that is related to blogging, which can include anything marketing and content creation related, but you should never add something related to pets.
In 2021, you will have to revamp your entire content strategy (unless you already did it). Look for the terms that your target audience uses and focus on those when you create content. On-page content has to focus on user search intent so that you can give the user what he/she wants.
Make Your Website As Mobile-Friendly As Possible
This has been said for a long time now and it already impacts search engine rankings. In 2021, the impact will be even higher. When you own a website, it is mandatory that it works exactly in the same way on absolutely all the mobile gadgets that are used by visitors. All usability concerns related to the viewing experience on screens of different sizes need to be addressed.
As an extra tip, you can display your CTA (call to action) above the fold. This is very effective in the event that you rely on some visitor actions that have to be taken for your business to profit. If not, the CTA is still a good addition and it needs to be clearly visible and accessible.
Create Interactive Content
Is the active engagement of the visitor encouraged? If not, changes should be attempted. Active engagement in 2021 should focus on much more than watching videos or reading articles. Interactive content is very valuable when considering user experience because it encourages visitors to spend more time on the website. It can also hook the reader and encourage spending more time on the content.
There are different types of interactive content that can be considered. Options that are really popular right now and that should be taken into account include interactive videos, surveys, polls, assessments, and infographics.
Reduce Page Load Time
In practically all industries, consumers can choose out of countless websites to visit and interact with. When the website takes too long to show the information required by the visitor, people simply leave and look for a site that loads faster.
If you still think that page load time is not an important factor, take a look at the study here. It shows how conversions went down by 7% simply because of a 1-second page load time delay. Even page views were impacted, with visitors looking at 11% fewer pages.
The internet is filled with free tools that can be used to test page load times. Analyze your website and start making changes. See what influences loading time and make all the changes that are needed.
Make Sure The User’s Browsing Experience Is Safe
Ever since 2006, Google has started to offer its Safe Browsing service. This was done behind the scenes with the aim of safeguarding users from potentially harmful content. Contrary to popular belief, there are more and more online threats appearing every single day. They actually evolve and grow. Due to this, you want to guarantee a browsing experience that is completely safe for every single site visitor. This helps build trust and Google will not filter you out.
What all this means is that “https” stands out as something that is nowadays close to mandatory. It will influence whether or not your website appears high in search engine results. The security measure is important since it adds authentication, integrity, and confidentiality.
Remove Popups
Every single website owner knows or at least should know that popups lower customer experience. However, oftentimes this is not taken into account because of some extra desire, like showing there is a newsletter that the visitor can subscribe to.
While there are many different types of popups and there are some that can be useful, they all lower visitor experience. Due to this, at the end of the day, you absolutely need to remove popups in 2021. There are always other ways to promote the lead generation deals you have.
Final Thoughts
To put things as simple as possible, 2021 will be the year of user experience for Google. This is the main focus that the search engine giant will have and it is quite simple to understand why this is the case. The experience that is offered to your visitor counts. All marketers know how this can make or break any campaign that they have.
Take a look at your website and make all the necessary changes as soon as you can. Although search engine rankings will most likely not be impacted this year, they are still highly beneficial for your website.