Google’s page experience update explained

Ahead of the rollout of Google’s latest algorithm update, Digital Growth Programme consultant Ian Lockwood explains how businesses can ensure their website is up to speed and offers advice on ways they can improve quality scoring.

In mid-June, Google begins its rollout of its page experience update, with the full effects due to be in place by the end of August.

This change to its organic ranking algorithm rolls up a number of existing ranking factors and introduces some changes to the way page load speed is measured.

Google first announced this last November so the change is likely to be noticeable, although it’s clear that the quality of information on a page is the priority, even if the page experience is sub-par.

You can already find a new page experience report in Google Search Console to show if your site has any issues.

Specifically, Google’s page experience signals are: • Core Web Vitals (the three measurements of page load speed are largest contentful paint, first input delay and cumulative layout shift) • Mobile-friendly • Safe browsing (website is not hacked) • HTTPS (site serves over a secure connection) • No intrusive interstitials (large overlays covering the page on mobile)

These are all used in Google’s algorithm already, although Core Web Vitals changes the metrics measuring page load speed.

CORE WEB VITALS UNPACKED

Core Web Vitals probably presents the biggest challenge for websites, as the vast majority should already be compliant with the other criteria (but do make sure your website serves over HTTPS, passes Google’s mobile-friendly test and doesn’t have intrusive interstitials).

Let’s look at Core Web Vitals. Firstly, largest contentful paint (LCP), which measures how long the main content area of the page (without scrolling down) takes to appear.

The target is under 2.5 seconds. While the quality of hosting can affect speed, most issues stem from how long it takes the visitor’s browser to download, process and render (visually display) the files that make up the page.

Common issues include renderblocking (JavaScript and CSS files that have to be processed but aren’t used in the initially-visible page), unused resources (CSS and JavaScript included but not actually used) and images with unnecessarily large files.

Images are relatively easy to fix, such as replacing existing images with correctly-sized and bettercompressed ones, but other issues can be tricky.

Plugins and modules to help might be available (WP Super Cache and Autoptimize for WordPress), but often only handediting the code can fully fix LCP issues.

First input delay (FID) measures the time before a user can interact with the page, such as to click a link. The target is under 100 milliseconds.

FID is caused by the browser being tied up by JavaScript and CSS, preventing it reacting to the user’s input. This requires optimisation of code to lower the impact on processing time.

Cumulative layout shift (CLS) measures how much the parts of a page move around as it loads, scored 0 to 1 with a target of below 0.1.

Solutions include setting the size for anything loaded separately, such as images, videos and other elements (eg cookie notices).

Loading fonts can also cause CLS – the text is initially displayed in the default browser font, then the “proper” font loads and text shifts.

If you want to know how your website and page load speed are performing, test your site at one of the links below: Google Search Console page experience report:

https://bit.ly/emc-gsc

Google PageSpeed Insights:

https://bit.ly/emc-psi

For full details on Google’s page experience update, visit

http://bit.ly/emc-pe

‘Core Web Vitals probably presents the biggest challenge for websites’

To hear more from Ian join him at our next workshop. To see the full schedule, visit www.leicsdigital.co.uk/events

Five reasons why your business should care about data ethics

Customer information is vital to every business – but how much consideration does your business give to data ethics? If it’s not near the top of your company to-do list then it should be, explains Dr Funmi Obembe (pictured), of De Montfort University Leicester’s (DMU) Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, a group of academics working with industry to educate about the potential impacts of technology on society and its citizens.

It can seem as though data breaches are constantly in the news. In April, it emerged that 533 million people’s Facebook accounts had been exposed to hackers and LinkedIn user information was for sale on the dark web.

More and more people are becoming aware of the amount of personal information that is held about them and expect companies to protect it.

Data ethics is simply all about the ethical use of data by organisations which, among other things, includes thinking about the way in which your company treats the information it holds on its customers.

Do you keep it safe and let your customers know what data your firm holds? Do you hold more data than you need? If you buy customer lists for marketing purposes, are you confident about the way in which that information was collected?

Here are five reasons why your business needs to think about the way in which it gathers, and uses, data and customer information:

1. REVENUE

Put simply, ensuring you use data ethically protects your bottom line. Failing to ensure that customer data is safe leaves your company open for fines and legal action.

Research by digital transformation firm Fenergo found 198 fines were imposed in 2020, 141% up on last year, with penalties totalling $10.4bn.

In March, travel booking site Booking.com was fined £475,000 for being too slow to report a breach in which credit card information was stolen.

2. TRUST

We know public trust in companies to use data appropriately is lower than trust levels generally.

After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, 32% of Facebook users stopped using the site as often. That rose to 38% the following year.

A study by KPMG found 97% of consumers rated data privacy as important to them when choosing who they do business with.

If your customers consider it as important, then it’s something businesses should be taking very seriously.

3. BUILD CUSTOMER LOYALTY

When your customers know you are keeping their private information safe, you benefit from a loyal fanbase, and word of mouth is the best recommendation.

It could also become a selling point for doing business with your company. The key is transparency and ensuring customers know what data you hold, and how you use it. Consumers expect more from brands they buy from.

4. REPUTATION

More than ever, people expect full transparency, control and choice over how their data is shared and used by companies.

Unethical data usage, security breaches and leaks lead to bad press and affect your company’s reputation, which in turn can hit the bottom line.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal knocked $36bn off Facebook’s stock value 24 hours after the story was published by The Guardian and The New York Times.

5. BE A TRAILBLAZER

At the moment, data ethics is a “good to have”, rather than a legal requirement, but the direction of travel indicated by the Government shows legislation is increasingly likely.

Those businesses that get on board now to audit their data, interrogate how it’s used and communicate it to customers will be the ones to gain a reputation for being good to buy from and do business with.

Air IT launches new password management service

Businesses can call on expert support to prevent passwordrelated cyber-attacks after a managed IT service provider launched a new password management service.

The Nottinghamshireheadquartered company, which has a national presence, will help employees at client firms to create a strong “master password” that allows access to an individual password vault – allowing a move away from risky practices in which people use the same combination across multiple accounts.

The service will be overseen by Air IT’s in-house Security Operations Centre, headed up by chief technology officer Lee Johnson (pictured, centre).

He said: “The average person has more than 70 password-protected accounts, which often leads to poor password hygiene such as creating simple, easily-cracked passwords that are reused across several accounts.

“As part of our mission to safeguard organisations, we are thrilled to offer this new service which will mitigate the risk of data breaches, strengthen compliance standards and boost employee productivity.”

Cyber-crime poses a significant threat to businesses, with four in 10 affected by data breaches in the past 12 months.

This figure is notably higher among medium-sized businesses, 65% of which had been victims of cyber-attacks, and 51% of highincome charities.

Many of these attacks can be attributed to inadequate use of passwords and poorly generated passwords.

Air IT’s specialist cyber security division has partnered with Keeper Security, the leading cyber security platform for preventing passwordrelated cyber threats, to offer the password management service, with features including password generation, record-level encryption, team management, secure file storage and security audits.