Google aims to serve its users with high-quality sites which quickly answer their query. Consequently, it has started to consider a range of factors related to the site’s performance and technical architecture. Since the technical structure can have a massive impact on its performance, it is essential to understand the factors that can affect performance.
JavaScript
Most websites use JavaScript to add interactivity and improve the user experience. It is commonly used in menus as well as pulling in products or prices. The dynamic nature of JavaScript, however, has historically caused issues with search engine crawling. If Google cannot access the menus on a site, it may have difficulties reading the content.
Google has stated that, if you are not blocking the Googlebot from crawling your JavaScript files, they can read JavaScript as a browser can. However, it can take Google longer to index JavaScript content. It is best to check that Google can read your pages correctly. This can be done from within Google Search Console using their URL Inspection Tool.
Schema
Schema is a way to label or organise your content so that search engines can better understand what some aspects of your web pages are. Schema provides structure to your data, which is why it is often referred to as ‘structured data’. The process of structuring data is often referred to as ‘markup’ because you are marking up your content with organisational code.
JSON-LD is Google’s preferred schema markup which Bing also supports. To view a complete list of the thousands of available schema markups, visit Schema.org. Besides helping bots like Google understand what a particular piece of content is about, schema markup can also enable rich snippets (mentioned above) to accompany your pages in the SERPs.
Page Load Speed and Usability
As well as being vital factors in your site’s conversion rate, page speed and website usability are also ranking factors considered by Google. These factors are combined into Google’s Core Web Vitals measures which available in the Google search console.
To benchmark your site’s performance, use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool and measure your page speed and identify improvement opportunities.
Mobile Friendliness
In 2020 mobile internet usage exceeded desktop usage for the first time. In response to this, as of March 2021, Google will stop indexing desktop versions of a website and only index mobile-friendly sites. Making your website compatible with mobile screens is necessary for maintaining search performance and is good for users who access sites via mobiles. To ensure a good mobile experience, Website owners should implement the following:
- Responsive design. Responsive websites are designed to adjust to the size of the user’s screen.
AMP. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are used to deliver content to mobile visitors at greater speeds
