In June 2021, after months of advance notice from Google, the Page Experience update began rolling out. Unlike many previous updates which focused primarily on the content and credibility of websites, this one introduced a set of measurable technical performance signals as ranking factors. It formalised something Google had been moving towards for years: the idea that how a website performs is as important as what it says.
What page experience actually covers
The Page Experience update consolidated several existing signals and introduced new ones under a single framework. The most significant new additions were the Core Web Vitals, a set of three specific metrics designed to measure real-world user experience.
The first metric, Largest Contentful Paint, measures how quickly the main content of a page loads and becomes visible to the user. The second, First Input Delay, measures how quickly a page responds when a user first tries to interact with it, such as clicking a button or a link. The third, Cumulative Layout Shift, measures visual stability — in other words, whether elements on the page jump around as it loads, causing users to accidentally click on the wrong thing.
Alongside these new metrics, the update also incorporated existing signals including mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, the use of HTTPS, and the absence of intrusive pop-ups that obscure content.
Why Google formalised these signals
Google’s reasoning was straightforward. A website that loads slowly, responds sluggishly to interaction, or shifts around unpredictably as it loads creates a poor experience for the person visiting it. Slow, frustrating websites cause people to leave before they find what they need. By making these factors ranking signals, Google created a direct incentive for website owners to invest in technical performance.
The advance notice Google gave before the rollout was generous by the standards of algorithm updates. Tools were provided to help website owners measure their Core Web Vitals scores and identify where improvements were needed. The message was clear: this is coming, and there is time to prepare.
The practical impact of the update
The initial ranking impact of the Page Experience update was relatively modest for most websites. Google confirmed that great content on a slow website would still outrank poor content on a fast one. Page experience was a tiebreaker rather than a dominant signal.
That said, in competitive sectors where content quality is broadly similar across the top-ranking pages, technical performance can be the difference that determines which businesses appear most prominently. And regardless of the direct ranking impact, a faster and more stable website converts better. Users who don’t leave in frustration are users who have the chance to become customers.
What this means for your business
Core Web Vitals scores for your website are measurable and improvable. Google’s own PageSpeed Insights tool will give you a score and a breakdown of specific issues to address. Common culprits for poor scores include unoptimised images, slow hosting, and poorly written website code.
If your website was built some time ago and hasn’t been updated technically, there is a reasonable chance its performance scores are holding it back. Addressing that is worthwhile both for search visibility and for the experience of every customer who visits. A website that loads quickly and works smoothly on any device is a better business tool in every respect.
