You can’t have a business without a website.
If you want to be more precise, in 2022 your business is unlikely to be as successful as you’d like it to be without a website. More and more searchers are going digital-first to find the goods and services that they need. And with over 60% of adults in the United States say they look for health-related information on the internet, your dental practice’s website is a critical way for you to connect with your prospective patients.1
Of course, just having a website isn’t enough. Your current and prospective patients won’t find your site and engage with your content if your website isn’t navigable, relevant, and user-friendly. It sounds simple enough on its face, right? But just how are you supposed to know whether or not your website is navigable, relevant, and user friendly?
That’s where the Google Page Experience comes in.
Simply put, the Google Page Experience provides the search engine giant with information on how users find your webpage. Depending on the results, your website may rank higher or lower on the search engine results page (SERP).
Here’s how to prepare for the new Google Page Experience tool.
What is the Google Page Experience?
The set of signals that make up Google Page Experience2 was rolled out for mobile devices in August 2021. The counterpart for desktops was launched in late February 2022, with rollout completed in early March.
Google Page Experience combines existing metrics with a set of metrics Google has designated as “Core Web Vitals”3. Together, these signals evaluate the user experience your website provides and translates that into measurable statistics that factor into your rankings on the SERP. The goal of this initiative is to improve the overall user experience by addressing metrics such as a page’s loading speed, interactivity, and viewability.
How to Prepare for the Google Page Experience
Optimizing your website for the Google Page Experience isn’t just about ranking high on the SERP. The goal of the initiative is to improve the user experience, which should be the goal for any digital marketing campaign where your website features. Here are a few things you can do to make sure your website is ready.
1. Review the Basics
If you haven’t performed a website audit recently, there’s no time like now to get started. A routine website audit should be part of your annual marketing plan already, but it’s important to take the time to review your website whenever Google updates its ranking criteria.
Start by asking the following questions:
- How quickly does your dental practice’s website load? To rank well with the Google Page Experience, ensure your site loads within 2.5 seconds.
- How responsive is your page? Make sure that all links, buttons, and scripts are working properly and provide a timely response.
- How many times have you accidentally clicked on a link just because the page suddenly loaded more content? Perhaps you were reading, and the page jumped to another section. That’s called Cumulative Layout Shift, and it’s inconvenient, a nuisance, and should always be avoided.
2. Confirm Mobile-Friendliness
More than 90% of people in the US4 who own mobile devices use them to search for local information. So unless you’re not interested in capturing 9 out of 10 prospective patients, you need to make sure your dental practice’s website is optimized for mobile.
Not sure how your website looks on a smartphone? Use Google’s quick Mobile-Friendly Test5 to confirm your site looks good, loads correctly and quickly, and is easy to navigate on the go.
3. Enhance Site Security
Are you providing visitors to your dental practice’s website with a safe and secure browsing experience? A straightforward method for increasing your site security is using a secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS). Check your web address to see whether it starts with https (secure) rather than http (insecure).
To learn more about site security, visit Google’s Search Console6 for in-depth information and additional assistance.
4. Make Your Content Accessible
Google hates intrusive interstitials. You probably feel the same way—even if you don’t know what they’re called. Intrusive interstitials are the disruptive pop-ups that are neither helpful nor relevant and cover website content while you’re browsing.
There are times when pop-ups and banners can be effective as part of your digital marketing efforts. However, it’s important that you deploy these tools strategically and make sure that they don’t negatively impact user experience. Check that they don’t cover the entire screen or interfere with the main content of your dental practice webpage.
Technically challenged? Adjusting your website based on the Google Page Experience doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth. Dreamscape Marketing can help you review and optimize your website. Connect with us at 888.307.7304 to schedule a strategy session.
For a list of references, please contact us.