Google recently released that one of its largest updates for the New Year is estimated to launch in May 2021. The exact date is not released, but in traditional Google Core and Algorithm updates, expect to see some changes in ranking such as dramatic increases or decreases. 

Any company who is properly handling their client’s SEO will naturally see and monitor these increases and decreases, this is part of the organic SEO strategy. The constant up and down, “the heartbeat of your ranking”, shows that your SEO strategy is working because Google is crawling in and out and you are noticing organic traffic! 

With the latest update coming quickly here is what the Google Page Experience 2021 update entails and how to prepare for it. 

Google Page Experience update 2021 

The biggest notion to understand with the Google Page Experience update 2021 is that all of the elements within this update have been in place for years now. Yup, for years, things like user experience and a responsive, mobile friendly website design have been core elements of ranking, the only thing that changed, a company’s website won’t be able to rank without all of the factors of the update. 

In the SEO industry, this leaves us questioning, “what’s next?” As the industry understands, this could change and the update be released earlier or later, but no matter what, a company has to be ready for this large update. 

These are the next steps that all SEOs need to take for the Google Page Experience 2021 updates and changes. 

The next SEO steps to take: 

1. AMP 

This stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). This is part of the entire experience of mobile friendly search and website instantaneously loading for these mobile searchers and their queries. With mobile devices now being the primary devices that consumers are using to find answers to their search queries, AMP is now a great thing for websites to have. A slow loading website is frustrating, time consuming and isn’t a great first impression. 

If your website is slow, AMP helps with the code, and this helps to slowly speed the website up. It reduces the size of files and helps with cache settings! It really is something great that can be a valuable tool for websites. 

 Here is the shocking, not shocking fact that AMP was launched in partnership with Google and other companies in 2015. 

As we stated previously, a company, newer SEOs, marketers and other agencies will find themselves realizing that these updates are really nothing new, just being enforced. As these changes happen, this is how to handle drops. 

2. How to handle drops 

As SEOs, the first couple of times this happens, it can be overwhelming because there usually isn’t a clear cut answer as to why this is happening. As the famous meme goes in SEO 

This is real. This is because even for the same industry, two websites with the same SEO packages will still need different strategies. The ranking could be dropping due to the result of an update, a change in the SERP and keywords themselves, or even due to legacy backlinks finally fading out over time. 

However, it is important to not panic. You do not have to start back at square one, and we wouldn’t recommend this. If you notice a consistent drop in ranking and aren’t sure why this is happening, it is important to run an audit on content and the website itself. 

A new website with a number of errors could be dropping in ranking due to the errors; on the other hand, this could be because Google has released an update. It is important to worry once it has been weeks or even months of drops. 

3. Visual indicator 

Google is not going to favor websites with these updates, but instead, have visual indicators that the website is up-to-par with their requirements. This means content that is relevant and related to the search will appear in highlighted and featured snippets and other ways within Google’s SERP. 

4. What core items are you missing?

What now? Now the biggest step is to contact an agency like OMG Austin who can help your company with the Google Page Experience update 2021 on the website design and development side, along with the SEO side. 

As a business owner, management team or C-Suite, do not assume that you have plenty of time. May is only five months away. Make sure to get the design and development change and SEO budget in the strategy sooner than later!