The Google page experience update Core Web Vitals signals reached mobile search on June 15, 2021, and desktop in early 2022. In April 2023, Google removed page experience as a named system. It is now a signal inside the core ranking systems, not a separate update.

What did the page experience update change?

The update grouped several signals about how a page feels to use. The main new part was Core Web Vitals. These are three measures of speed and stability:

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): how fast the main content shows up.
  • FID (First Input Delay): how fast the page reacts to the first tap or click. Google later replaced it with INP (Interaction to Next Paint).
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): how much the layout jumps while it loads.

Google also added older signals to the group: mobile friendliness, HTTPS and no intrusive pop-ups. It also dropped the AMP rule for the Top Stories carousel. Any fast page could now appear there.

Search Console shows your Core Web Vitals in its own report. It groups your URLs as "Good", "Needs improvement" or "Poor" for mobile and desktop. The data comes from real visits, so a new or small site may not have enough traffic to show a score yet. In that case, you can test single pages with PageSpeed Insights.

How did the Google page experience update Core Web Vitals rules work?

Google started the mobile rollout on June 15, 2021. Google said the rollout was complete in early September 2021. The desktop version ran from February 22 to March 3, 2022. Google never gave a share of queries affected.

Keep this in mind: page experience was never the main signal. A slow page with the best answer can still outrank a fast page with a weak one. Relevance and helpful content still come first.

Who lost or gained traffic?

Most sites saw small changes or none. Still, some groups felt it more than others:

  • Heavy ad sites with layout jumps and slow loads, like some recipe and news blogs.
  • Old themes with big uncompressed images and lots of scripts.
  • News publishers gained a chance at Top Stories without AMP.

Is the page experience update still running today?

No, not as a named system. In April 2023, Google removed it from its ranking systems guide. Google said the update "was a concept to describe a set of key page experience aspects for site owners to focus on". It was not "a separate ranking system".

Danny Sullivan of Google explained that page experience is a ranking signal, not a ranking system. The core ranking systems still use these signals. Google removed the mobile-friendly system from the guide at the same time.

How to check if it affected your site

  1. Open the Core Web Vitals report. In Google Search Console, check the mobile and desktop reports. Note groups of URLs marked "Poor" or "Needs improvement".
  2. Compare mobile traffic. In the Performance report, filter by mobile. Compare May 2021 against July and August 2021.
  3. Compare desktop traffic. Filter by desktop and compare February 2022 against March 2022.
  4. Match slow pages to drops. See if the pages that lost clicks are also the ones with poor scores.
  5. Check HTTPS and Manual actions. Make sure the HTTPS report shows no errors. Then open Manual actions to rule out a penalty.

What to do now

You will not get a big ranking jump from speed alone. But fast, stable pages keep visitors happy, and happy visitors read more and come back. That is reason enough.

  • Shrink images. Large photos are the most common cause of slow LCP. The image speed cheat covers the quick wins.
  • Reserve space. Set width and height on images and ad slots to stop layout jumps.
  • Cut extra scripts. Remove plugins and trackers you do not need. This helps INP.
  • Fix pop-ups. Avoid full-screen pop-ups on mobile when someone arrives from search.

The Google page experience update Core Web Vitals story ends simply: the named update is gone, but a fast and stable site still helps your readers and supports your rankings.

Frequently asked questions

Are Core Web Vitals still a ranking factor?

Yes, as one signal among many. Google's core ranking systems still use page experience signals. Relevance and content quality matter much more, though.

What replaced FID in Core Web Vitals?

INP, or Interaction to Next Paint, replaced FID. It measures how fast a page responds to all taps and clicks during a visit, not only the first one.

Do I need AMP to appear in Top Stories?

No. The page experience update dropped the AMP requirement for Top Stories. A normal, non-AMP page can now appear in that carousel.