Last November, Google announced that it was retiring the Page Experience report in Search Console. This move is presumably aimed at simplifying the navigation experience for site owners.
Although Google has retired this consolidated report, its tools for tracking Core Web Vitals and HTTPS remain available. All the more reason to start using these free resources to investigate your website’s user experience and security.
Let’s explore what this change means for you and how you can continue monitoring critical aspects of SEO.
Search Console’s Page Experience report served as a centralized dashboard that combined various metrics to assess how well a website provided a positive user experience. It highlighted key indicators such as Core Web Vitals and HTTPS status, allowing site owners to gauge performance easily.
Users can find this report under the “Experience” tab in Google Search Console. The report classified performance into three categories: Good, Needs Improvement, and Poor. Its purpose was to help users enhance site usability and security to achieve better search rankings by consolidating critical data in one place.
The Page Experience report has gone through a revolution over the years. In November 2023, Google transformed the report into a more informational page that provided direct links to Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports. The change was designed to nudge site owners to view page experience as an integral part of content creation.
Along with this update, Google also dropped the Good Page Experience search appearance filter from the Performance report. Emphasizing that page experience extends beyond Core Web Vitals and HTTPS, Google has shifted its focus toward providing a broader perspective on user engagement metrics within SEO strategies
The recent removal of the Page Experience report reflects Google’s commitment to streamlining the Search Console. This streamlined approach reduces clutter and simplifies user navigation within the console. Site owners will now have to rely more on separate Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports to get in-depth insight into performance metrics.
This change encourages a stronger focus on the critical things that affect user experience while allowing site owners to keep an eye on everything without overloading them with data. The update will improve usability while keeping all the important tools for web performance optimization and maintaining security standards.
Even though the Page Experience report is gone, Google still maintains strong Core Web Vitals reporting. It enables users to access essential metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) for both mobile and desktop platforms, helping them understand real-world user experiences.
“Google’s updates are all about helping businesses focus on what truly matters—delivering a great user experience and staying secure. With tools like Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports, businesses have everything they need to stay ahead and keep their websites performing at their best,” says Seth Price, Founder of BluShark Digital.
Moreover, the separate HTTPS report will remain in place so that the site owners can effectively monitor the security status. The report identifies issues such as invalid SSL certificates and HTTP/HTTPS canonical conflicts, helping site owners adhere to Google’s security recommendations. Generally, these continual tools will let users focus on optimizing performance while ensuring a safe browsing environment.
Digital marketing is a dynamic space; businesses must keep up to date to maintain competitiveness. Managing a website while running daily operations can be quite overwhelming, leaving little time to devote to SEO updates and news about the marketplace.
Outsourcing to SEO experts like BluShark Digital helps provide the answer. Professionals offer strategic insights tailored to specific needs, often surpassing the capabilities of do-it-yourself approaches. Experts realize how complex the algorithms can be and use state-of-the-art tools for better optimization.
Our experts at Blushark Digital are dedicated to keeping you informed about the latest industry changes. Contact us today to create customized strategies that will enhance your online presence and drive sustainable growth.
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