Team meeting on whiteboard

I must admit, this BIG, imminent, Google algorithm update is scaring me a tad. Will the Google search results be turned upside down with cr@ppy text heavy web pages dominating real estate above the fold? Will the quality web traffic we’ve come to know and love plotting in our monthly reports suddenly nosedive? Will our clients’ lucrative position one rankings *brushes shoulder off* start to slip and ultimately vanish?

Well I’d be very surprised.

Sure the algorithm will favour those websites that deliver a more positive page experience but will it penalise our smart and seasoned websites… our great quality content that is currently ranking at the top of Google… the user experience, that up till this point has been deemed decent?

It’s difficult to know.

My advice… Don’t leave it to chance. Optimise your Page Experience (or have us do it for you).

You have until the end of August – if you’re lucky enough to dodge the first 6 weeks!

At Big Gun, we’re all about Quick Wins so one of the most important parts of our job is prioritising the endless wishlist of activities by the perceived positive impact they’ll have and ultimately – return on investment they’ll make our clients.

So… Where do you start?

1. Well first off hook up Google Search Console (GSC) The cockpit from which you’ll guide your website through the turbulent, rainbow skies of the most influential and business-critical search engine of all. 2. Get an SSL This is a nice quick, easy one 🤞 *touch wood* Please 🙏 no insecure content, please 🙏  no insecure content 3. Check for Security Issues This is the link you’ll need to see in GSC if you have anything to worry about. Any red 🚩 flags? Get a pro on it like us, Sucuri or Wordfence.

 

4. Make sure your website is Mobile Friendly Run a quick test here. If it’s not, hopefully there are only a few tweaks needed. If you’re still serving a desktop version of the site on mobile devices then, just, wow 😱/> 5. Focus on Page Speed – like you haven’t been for the last 5 years! Well unfortunately yes, Google keep moving the goalposts and if you regularly use Page Speed Insights like us, you’ll notice that your 🚀 scores don’t stay in the green for long – let alone forever!  6. Rip out annoying, unhelpful Ads and pop ups This probably won’t apply to the majority of people reading this as I’d expect publisher sites to have this covered off. HOWEVER do check you can easily close any popups you do serve on your website – if you can’t, googlebot will slap your wrist!

Then for those that are more technical…

Go to town on your Core Web Vitals…

  • Squash your LCP, flatten your FID and crush your CLS Eeeeeeeeexactly! – it’s pretty much gibberish to me too so we’re going to need Nick Rowe and the developers to handle it from here. 
  • AMPlify your page speed Our poor clients are probably sick of me raving about the lightning ⚡ bolt icon that appears in search results when you produce an Accelerated Mobile Page which complies with the rules set out by the initiative…

…BUT, for me ☢️🚨⚠️

This is arguably the single most effective way to leapfrog a few competitors in the post apocalyptic world of BERT and the Page Experience police.

PING US A MESSAGE 💬

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