Google has revised its page experience help documentation to offer clearer insights into how Core Web Vitals metrics influence ranking signals. Additionally, Google has clarified that other page experience signals do not directly impact rankings in Google Search. The revised documentation can be found in the ranking section of the document, and it now states:
Core Web Vitals are used by our ranking systems. We recommend site owners achieve good Core Web Vitals for success with Search and to ensure a great user experience generally. Keep in mind that getting good results in reports like Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report or third-party tools doesn’t guarantee that your pages will rank at the top of Google Search results; there’s more to great page experience than Core Web Vitals scores alone. These scores are meant to help you to improve your site for your users overall, and trying to get a perfect score just for SEO reasons may not be the best use of your time.
Previously, it stated:
There are many aspects to page experience, including some listed on this page. While not all aspects may be directly used to inform ranking, they do generally align with success in search ranking and are worth attention.
Therefore, Google explicitly reaffirms that Core Web Vitals are integrated into the Google search ranking factor. However, Google also included the statement, “Trying to achieve a perfect score only for SEO purposes may not be the most efficient use of your time.” This suggests that while this score contributes to ranking, its significance is relatively minimal compared to other ranking signals.
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Additionally, Google included:
Beyond Core Web Vitals, other page experience aspects don’t directly help your website rank higher in search results. However, they can make your website more satisfying to use, which is generally aligned with what our ranking systems seek to reward. Therefore it’s still worth working to improve page experience overall.
Previously that said:
We highly recommend site owners achieve good Core Web Vitals for success with Search and to ensure a great user experience generally. However, great page experience involves more than Core Web Vitals. Good stats within the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console or third-party Core Web Vitals reports don’t guarantee good rankings.
Google explicitly states that other page experience signals are not directly used in Google’s ranking system.
Regarding Core Web Vitals updates, as mentioned earlier, the new INP metric has replaced FID as a core web vitals metric. However, it’s important to reiterate that these signals are relatively minor, suggesting that directing SEO efforts towards other areas before prioritizing Core Web Vitals may be more beneficial.
Google Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, clarified this morning that while Google page experience was never characterized as a ranking system, it remains a ranking signal. These remarks had previously sparked significant confusion, prompting Google to provide clarification in the updated documentation.
Furthermore, John Mueller of Google shared on LinkedIn regarding Core Web Vitals, stating, “It’s not going to significantly boost your site’s rankings.
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