Google Modifies Web Vitals For User Experience (UX)
This morning Wix hosted a live session for Wix Partners, led by Brett Haralson, featuring Dikla Cohen, a Web Ecosystem Consultant at Google, and Dan Shappir, Performance Tech Lead at Wix.com.
Below are the key takeaways from the live webinar, "How to Optimize for Core Web Vitals," which resonated with us most, from the very informative forum!
1. SITE AND PAGE LOADING SPEED IS PARAMOUNT
Fast is What Visitors Expect and What Will Keep Them on Your Site.
We know this. This is essential practice for anyone building or maintaining websites. HOWEVER, it is sometimes all too easy to justify some cool or unique element or effect even if it eats up some loading seconds or milliseconds.
But we need to kill that stuff. And, instead, get creative with still giving a cool experience with very streamlined elements, animations, effects, and interactions.
The panelists gave us a few tips on what eats up loading time, these days, and we will cover some of those, below.
The bots want good user experience via quick-loading sites, pages, and content, and engagement.
Speed means website ease of use and trust (and that extends to a first impression trust of your business).
2. MOBILE MOBILE MOBILE
60% + Of Your Website Traffic Is Via Mobile.
Mobile ease of use cannot be stressed enough and is more than ever a core evaluation for the Google algorithms.
Mobile Websites must load quickly, be easily navigable, and readily engaged with.
At Lovage, for our website design standards - we pull OFF as much content as we can on mobile to further streamline our customer's website experiences. Anything that is superfluous, heavy, creates unnecessary scrolling - we hide in mobile. We minimize menu options. We pull off banks of images - where there may be 3, 4, 6 images displayed on desktop in a gallery or showcase, we pull that back to 1 or 2. Animations are further minimized, effects cut back on.
3. WIX WORKING FURIOUSLY TO CONTINUALLY OPTIMIZE SPEED
The Platform Is On It.
Wix site speed has been noticeably increasing over the past few years and has gone into overdrive the past many months in response to Google's Core Web Vitals measurement.
Responding to Google Evaluation Adjustments is an ongoing update challenge for all platforms. Wix is heavily prioritizing development in response and meeting or surpassing other popular platforms with their results.
Wix developers are rapidly, continually refining site speed. Two major areas of work include:
1) Elimination of Unnecessary Javascript 2) Additional Servers, Varietally Placed Worldwide
4. INTEGRATIONS SLOW DOWN SITE LOAD
Facebook Pixel. Feeds From Vimeo and YouTube. Plug Ins. Etc.
We need these.
But does your website need all of them? It's best to disconnect your FB Pixel, if you aren't currently running ads. It's best to use Wix's internal video player, if possible, rather than linking in. Are all the 3rd Party Apps on the site actually being used?
There are some integrations we can't live without but it is good practice to disable or disconnect those that aren't currently being used or aren't providing valuable VS their load time.
5. MINIMIZE FONT VARIETY
Fonts Take Load Time.
Using as few font types as possible is best. This is also best for slick, streamlined design so, everybody wins!
6. MYTH DEBUNKED: RESIZING IMAGES
No Need. Wix Automatically Optimizes.
Dan Shappir, Performance Tech Lead at Wix.com let us know that this is not necessary. Wix automatically optimizes imagery so loading a tiny image used for a thumbnail or heavily compressing an image displayed in large size won't make much difference. As a general practice, you don't want to be uploading insane "large enough to print a billboard" photo sizes but you don't need to go crazy doing extra work to get your file size 20% smaller before uploading for use on your Wix website.
OKAY SO NOW YOU WANT TO KNOW... HOW FAST IS MY SITE? IS IT GOOD? BAD? WILL GOOGLE LOVE ME AND SEND GOOGLERS MY WAY OR THINK I AM A HORROR SHOW?!
ANALYZE YOUR SITE SPEED USING Google PageSpeed Insights
Note That Mobile is Displayed in the Results (this will be a lower rating, without fail) and You May Switch Display to Desktop Results at Top Left!
Need A New Business Website? Lovage Is Here For You!
LOVAGE INC.
A Woman-Owned, Top Dallas-Based Website Design Company Serving Global Customers Since 2016.
214-883-8374
hello@lovageinc.com
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