This week Google released it’s long awaited mobile speed algorithm update. The search engine giant announced the shift in focus to mobile page speed as a key ranking factor. This news should put marketers and web masters on notice, as page speed has now become essential for boosting organic search engine rankings.
Google continues to prioritize the user experience of their users; the faster pages load the better the user’s experience is likely to be. Page speed is one of the key signals that forms the basis of Google’s mobile-friendly algorithm since 2016. The new mobile speed update focuses on page load times for mobile users which indicates that Google wants to optimize the experience for users on smaller screens.
Impact of the algorithm update on webmasters
When it comes to SEO, the focus is usually on keywords and content strategy. Now, with the emphasis on mobile speed, web masters will need to pay increased attention to the software and development language used to produce their pages. It is essential that they should optimize their websites and make them as user-friendly as possible. Google has also recommended some specific solutions to improving page speed, such as increasing server response times, compressing images, and optimizing JavaScript and CSS.
Scope of the mobile speed algorithm
The new algorithm is being rolled out across the mobile web. Initially, it will be aimed at the most visible type of content for users, such as the pages driving search engine results. However, Google plans to eventually expand its scope to look into the speed of all mobile sites.
The algorithm is sure to have a significant impact on SERPs, and on the current market landscape. Google has never failed to emphasize the importance of page speed in its ranking systems, though this is the first time that it has placed such a high priority on page speed for mobile users.
For digital marketers, this is an important reminder that page speed matters for SEO. As Google keeps raising the bar in terms of user experience, digital marketers will need to make sure that the pages they create are well-optimized, fast-loading, and tailored to the device in order to succeed on Google’s SERPs.