You might be wondering what the algorithmic movements of Google have to do with the construction industry. Why should you care about a pending update, and what are the wider implications?
In this article, we explore the relationship between the search landscape and the construction industry, and how this also relates to one primary constant… change.
What is the Core Web Vitals Update?
Google are continuously rolling-out updates throughout the year, the vast majority of which are not given a second thought. There are however times when an update is directly referenced by their internal teams, at which point it’s clear there is a significance placed on it. Core Web Vitals is one such update.
The update is centered around three primary metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint
- First Input Delay
- Cumulative Layout Shift
What these metrics boil down to is essentially how fast and user-friendly is your website? Does your layout jump around once the page is loaded, resulting in a poor experience for users? Are you currently providing the best user experience for your website visitors?
Whilst the outcome is naturally yet to be known (the CWV update is now poised for complete rollout by the end of August 2021), it is clear that Google is centering a significant part of its algorithm on usability, speed, and user experience.
What does this mean for the construction industry?
If your website is currently slow to load, feels ‘clunky’ or provides a poor experience for users, then you should be paying attention to this update.
Like the way in which the industry had to rapidly adapt to changes related to Coronavirus lockdowns, large algorithm updates such as this are not something to be ignored. And, whilst they’re nowhere near as severe as the industry effects from COVID, they are still something to be aware of and to action before it’s too late.
The issue lies in the ambiguity of the situation, in that no webmasters know what the actual effects will be until the update is fully rolled-out.
So, where do you start? Whether you have a small business site that receives little traffic to an impressive online presence that serves as a lead magnet, there’s no better time than now to look at what you can do in time for the Core Web Vitals update arrival.
- Search Console – Analyse your current profile. Specific ‘Core Web Vitals’ issues are listed under the ‘Enhancements’ tab.
- Developer Support – Some of the issues such as cumulative layout shift are not simple 2 minute fixes. Enlist development and technical SEO support to assist with addressing any primary issues which are flagged.
- Be honest with your current website – Has it seen better days? Is it slow to load and not offering a fluid experience for users? It’s best you bid farewell to your current website and opt for something that is both fast and modern, prompting your visitors to not only stay, but to return as well.
Why we’re mentioning this
Algorithm updates such as this do not come along every week, therefore we want to highlight the importance of addressing any issues as quickly as you can.
In an industry that may not be terribly concerned with its SEO ‘health’ but is otherwise dependent on data and insights, it can be easy to ignore any potential issues until an inevitable (and possibly substantial) drop in the organic search results occurs.
