I’ll explain 6.the optimization of page experience here. If you are new to SEO, please also check “2022 Complete Guide to SEO: Basics and Ranking Strategies for Beginners“.

Our advanced SEO guidelines comprise the following six contents. Please check the articles that are necessary for you.

1.Advanced SEO Tactics

2.Advanced SEO Tactics: : Guidelines on Content

3.Advanced SEO Tactics: Guidelines on Quality

4.Advanced SEO Tactics: Control of Crawling and Indexing

5.Advanced SEO Tactics: Advanced SERPs Hacks

6.Advanced SEO Tactics: Page Experience Optimization

The Impact of Page Experience on Rankings

While the quality of content significantly influences Google’s rankings, page experience also plays a crucial role as an internal factor.

It is often pointed out that page speed is important, but other factors like SSL encryption, mobile-friendliness, and Core Web Vitals are also considered. Not all metrics need to be perfect, but high-ranking sites generally do not have extremely poor values. However, content is still more important than page experience; high page experience does not compensate for the low quality of content.

Nonetheless, in a competitive situation where content quality is similar, superior page experience can indeed provide an advantage. While it may not greatly affect rankings, it likely impacts conversions, making regular site reviews important.

Page Experience Signals

To be considered as having excellent page experience, improvements in the following signals are necessary.

Core Web Vitals

In terms of page experience, the three metrics of Core Web Vitals are particularly crucial.

POINT

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance by timing how long it takes for the largest content to render on the page. The target is within 2.5 seconds from when the page starts loading.
• First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity by timing the delay from when a user first interacts with the site to the time when the browser is able to respond. The target is less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability by quantifying unexpected layout shifts. The goal is a CLS score of less than 0.1.

Mobile-Friendliness

Whether the site is mobile-friendly depends on how well it functions on mobile devices.

Responsive design is often recommended, but it is not always the correct solution. Creating a separate URL tailored for mobile users, if done thoughtfully, will not result in lower or fragmented evaluations.

HTTPS (SSL Encryption)

The standard is whether a site is delivered over HTTPS (whether it is SSL encrypted). As of 2021, browsers that issue warnings for non-HTTPS sites have emerged, thus early improvements are required.

Interstitials

Interstitials can hinder user access to content, and if used improperly, they can degrade the user experience.

Reasons for Making Sites Mobile-Friendly

The focus of the web is increasingly shifting towards mobile. While some fields still see more access via desktop, the growing number of mobile users makes mobile-friendliness crucial for enhancing user experience. Especially if no mobile site is provided, it can lead to poor visibility on smartphones, potentially increasing bounce rates and affecting conversions, making responsiveness essential.

Consistency Between Desktop and Mobile Content

With responsive design, the same content is displayed whether accessed from a desktop or mobile. However, if managing separate URLs, it’s important to ensure content consistency across both. The principle is to deliver the same content on both desktop and mobile and apply a canonical tag to one version to avoid duplication.

Considerations for Mobile-Friendliness

A site might work well on desktop but still have issues on mobile. This section will explain common pitfalls to avoid in making a site mobile-friendly.

Setting the Viewport Correctly

Due to varying screen sizes among users, it is necessary to set the viewport. However, there are cases where the viewport is set with fixed or unrealistic values. While this may not always be incorrect, in many cases, it’s necessary to allow scaling to adapt to the device.

Font Size Too Small

Generally, if the font size is too small, it becomes difficult to read. It is recommended that all font sizes be at least 16px, but at a minimum, ensure that the main content is not so small that it’s unreadable.

Tap Elements Are Too Close

What works on a desktop may result in buttons and links being too close together on mobile, increasing the likelihood of accidental taps. Pay attention to the size and spacing of buttons.

Blocking JavaScript, CSS, and Image Files

For proper rendering and evaluation, files used on the site such as JavaScript, CSS, and images need to be accessible. Restricting access through robots.txt can hinder rendering and indexing, potentially negatively impacting rankings.

Unplayable Content

Content that plays without issues on desktops might not play on mobile devices. Whether content is supported depends on the device and browser, so it’s crucial that content is playable across all devices.

Incorrect Redirects

With responsive design, the URL remains the same whether accessed from a desktop or mobile. However, if desktop and mobile have separate URLs, two URLs exist. If a mobile device accesses a desktop URL, it might redirect, but if there isn’t an appropriate mobile URL, displaying the desktop URL can avoid problems. 

Implementing responsive design can resolve redirect issues by unifying URLs and avoiding misdirected canonical settings, thereby preventing dilution of page value. Implementing responsive design where possible is recommended.

Avoiding Interstitials

Ads or sign-up forms that obscure content and make it difficult to return to the original content do not provide a good user experience.

Particularly on mobile devices, interstitials often degrade the user experience, and their use is not recommended.

Inappropriate Internal Linking

When separate URLs are set up for desktop and mobile versions, links may be placed from the desktop site to the mobile pages and vice versa.

This is considered inappropriate linking and harms the user experience, necessitating a correction of the links. Responsive design can prevent such issues.

Pages with Slow Loading Speeds

Page loading speed is a critical metric that significantly affects the bounce rate. While slow speeds do not dramatically impact rankings, it’s crucial to address them to improve user experience.

*Extremely slow loading speeds can negatively affect rankings.

Security and Search Results

Enhancing security may not directly improve rankings, but if a site is hacked due to security vulnerabilities, it can lead to lower rankings.

This also worsens user experience and, in the worst case, can lead to the closure of the site. Site administrators should be vigilant and implement necessary security measures.

Checklist for Implementing HTTPS

HTTPS is a protocol that ensures the integrity and confidentiality of data transmitted between devices and sites. Also referred to as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or always-on HTTPS, switching from HTTP to HTTPS can enhance a site’s security.

Major browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge have changed their specifications to warn users about sites not using HTTPS, and sites with HTTPS tend to rank better compared to HTTP sites.

While the direct SEO benefits of always using HTTPS are minimal, it is unlikely that HTTP will ever be favored in the future, so early implementation of HTTPS is strongly recommended.

Using a Robust Security Certificate

To enable HTTPS, it is necessary to obtain a security certificate.

Certificates are issued by a Certificate Authority (CA). The issuance process requires proving the actual ownership of the site, thereby securing it.

There are various CAs that can issue security certificates, and the encryption strength is the same whether the certificate is paid or free. Therefore, there is no security risk with free security certificates, although there may be differences in support and renewal processes.

Utilizing Server-Side Redirects

Use server redirect functions to redirect from HTTP pages to HTTPS pages. While site-side settings are possible, server-side configurations are often more accurate and faster, offering little advantage when set up on the site-side.

Ensuring Search Engine Crawlability and Indexability

You can check whether Google can access your pages using the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console.

No special settings changes are needed after migrating to HTTPS, but you should also check whether your robots.txt or noindex settings are not inadvertently blocking access or indexing.

Supporting HSTS

For sites using HTTPS, employing HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is recommended. HSTS allows automatic redirection to HTTPS even if http is entered in the address.

Correct redirect settings will redirect http entries to https, but using HSTS can prevent potential threats like cookie hijacking or redirection to phishing sites right from the first http address entry.

Transitioning from HTTP to HTTPS

Once set up, any access to HTTP will be redirected to HTTPS, posing no issues for the user.

However, HTTP and HTTPS are treated separately in Google Search Console, so a new setup is necessary, and data sharing is not performed. It’s also advisable to update URLs listed in other tools or external sites wherever possible.

Hacked Content and Search Results

Sites with security vulnerabilities may unknowingly host unknown content. This is referred to as hacked content, and Google strives to prevent such content from appearing in search results.

Therefore, building robust security to prevent hacking is paramount, and if hacking does occur, cleaning up, excluding, and possibly isolating the content are necessary steps.

In particular, when WordPress is hacked, content that automatically proliferates within the server can be placed, making manual management difficult and eventually requiring closure or a complete cleanup and rebuild.

Here are examples of hacking.

Content Insertion 

Attempts are often made to insert malicious content into existing pages, typically by embedding JavaScript or using an iframe.

Content Addition 

Hackers may add spam or malicious content without permission, often crafted to manipulate search engines. Even if it does not affect other pages, it can harm users accessing specific pages and potentially degrade the site’s overall performance, affecting rankings.

Hidden Content 

Content is added to existing pages but hidden from users and administrators using CSS to create hidden texts and links. This method, known as black hat SEO, can severely impact rankings and result in penalties if severe.

Redirects 

Code that redirects to spam pages may be inserted. Tricky part is that the redirects can occur or not based on the traffic source, often delaying detection and potentially impacting rankings.

Malware and Unwanted Software

Google actively monitors and alerts administrators about software and executables that negatively affect the user experience. While proper management usually prevents issues, prompt action is required when notifications are received.

What is Malware?

Malware is software specifically designed to harm users. It operates maliciously, such as installing viruses or software without user consent.

What is Unwanted Software?

Unwanted software refers to executables or apps that cause harmful effects due to malicious acts or unexpected behavior.

Monitoring Site Status

Utilizing Google’s search functions and Search Console can help in early detection of issues like malware. 

-You can review your site’s content by using the “site:” operator in Google Search. If unfamiliar pages appear, it’s advisable to promptly check their details. 

-The Search Console’s “Security Issues” and message panel will alert you to hacked pages or malware notifications.

Security Checklist

• Use strong passwords.
• Check your server settings. Many servers use Apache, which provides guidelines on security settings.
• Keep your software up-to-date with the latest updates and patches. Websites built with WordPress might have vulnerabilities in old plugins, and the more tools you use, the higher the risk. Remove unnecessary tools and keep the necessary ones updated.
• Restrict access permissions on your server.
• Use secure protocols like SSH and SFTP to enhance security.

Improving Experience with AMP

While implementing AMP does not directly improve rankings, it increases display speed and enhances user experience, which can indirectly affect rankings and contribute to conversion rates.

Creating AMP Pages

When creating AMP pages

• Ensure AMP pages have the same content as their canonical pages.
• AMP pages must link to their canonical pages, whether they are AMP or non-AMP.
• Use AMP Test Tools to verify that AMP HTML meets the requirements.
• If using structured data, it must be consistent between the canonical and AMP pages.
• Make sure AMP pages are not blocked by robots.txt.

Deleting AMP Pages

When deleting AMP pages, there are two methods: removing both the AMP and the non-AMP pages, or deleting only the AMP pages.

Deleting Both

1.Remove both AMP and non-AMP pages from the server (or through the CMS tool).

2.Use the old content removal tool to request deletion from search results. Enter URLs for both AMP and non-AMP pages.

3.Update Google AMP cache to ensure the AMP pages are removed.

4.Use Google Search to verify they are removed from search results.

Deleting Only AMP Pages

1.Remove the “rel=’amphtml'” tag from the source code of the non-AMP page.

2.Delete the AMP page from the server (or use the CMS tool if applicable).

3.Set up a 301 or 302 redirect from the deleted AMP page to the canonical non-AMP page.

Summary

SEO has been a common term for a long time, but it’s also known as SXO, which stands for Search Experience Optimization. Since 2020, enhancing user experience has become essential for achieving top rankings.

In 2021, Core Web Vitals became a hot topic as a new ranking factor, but for those who have already considered SXO in their site design, this should not pose a significant issue. Improving user experience is already a well-known aspect of SEO, necessitating prompt actions.

Focusing on speed (including Core Web Vitals), mobile optimization, and SSL encryption (HTTPS) are critical tasks. However, it’s often unclear how to make specific improvements to your site. Tokyo SEO Maker has a track record of enhancing numerous sites and optimizing overall site performance. Please take advantage of our free consultation to start.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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