Definition
Google's Page Experience Update was progressively rolled out between June and August 2021, with a desktop extension in February 2022. This update grouped several user experience signals into a unified ranking system comprising: Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID/INP, CLS), mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, absence of intrusive interstitials, and safe browsing. The goal was to reward pages offering a superior user experience. Google clarified that content relevance remains the dominant factor and that Page Experience serves as a tiebreaker between pages of similar relevance. This update consolidated several previously independent signals into a coherent framework.
Key Points
- Rolled out June-August 2021 on mobile, extended to desktop February 2022
- Integrates Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendly, HTTPS, and absence of intrusive pop-ups
- Serves as a tiebreaker between pages of similar relevance
Practical Examples
Core Web Vitals improvement
An e-commerce site invested in optimizing its Core Web Vitals (reducing LCP from 4.5s to 2.1s, CLS from 0.25 to 0.05) and observed an average improvement of 3 positions on its product pages.
Impact as a tiebreaker
Two competing articles of similar quality on a given topic: the one offering a better page experience (fast loading, no layout shifts, no pop-ups) gets the higher position.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Google has clarified that content relevance and quality remain the dominant factors. Page Experience, including Core Web Vitals, serves as a tiebreaker between pages of similar relevance. Excellent but slow content will beat mediocre but fast content.
Google recommends an LCP under 2.5 seconds, an INP (which replaced FID) under 200 milliseconds, and a CLS under 0.1. These thresholds are measurable via PageSpeed Insights, Chrome User Experience Report, and Google Search Console.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07