Google’s Core Web Vitals have been a focal point among SEO specialists, marketers, and content creators since the company added this score to the Search Console. Recently, Google has tweaked this tool, introducing Interaction to Next Paint (INP) scores as novel criteria. This change has caused a flurry of confusion and debate within the digital community. However, a deeper understanding of this update can ensure that it becomes a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block.
Months ago, Google announced INP would replace First Input Delay (FID) by March 2024, which has stirred yet another significant shift within the SEO landscape. The tech company introduced a new report feature to the Search Console, aiming to ease site owners into this new epoch.
Confirming the change, Google sent out notification emails to website owners highlighting their site’s INP score and major issues affecting page experience. This sudden update left many site owners in a state of confusion and concern. What does INP replacing FID mean? And why does it matter?
Allow us to illustrate with an example. One such email from Google notified a site owner that more than 10% of their mobile page visits resulted in a poor Google Search Console INP score. It suggested that this could negatively affect the site’s ability to perform well on Google Search, consequently alarming the owner.
The influx of such emails stirred panic among site owners, fearing that the poor INP score might hamper their site ranking. However, Martin Splitt, Developer Relations Engineer at Google, recently clarified that just good stats within the Core Web Vitals Report won’t guarantee top rankings. The website’s content’s relevance still holds much more weightage.
Yet, this doesn’t discredit the relevance of INP scores, nor does it dismiss the integral role of page experience. Given the current circumstance, heartening news is that site owners are not required to lose sleep over the scores just yet. Nevertheless, taking key steps to improve these scores remains a prudent strategy.
Through the dust of confusion, the crucial takeaway is relevance is even more beneficial than an impressive INP score. Although Google’s new mechanism intends to provide a more accurate measure of a website’s interactivity, SEO practitioners should not lose sight of the need to provide relevant, meaningful content. The Google rankings algorithm, after all, still heavily prioritizes meaningful user engagement.
What does all this mean for you? Website owners should take advantage of these newer metrics to understand their website’s interactivity better and improve it where necessary. However, refrain from dwelling excessively on the new metrics. Remember, no single metric is the silver bullet. Your focus should remain on offering a balanced, complete trio – high-quality content, sound search engine optimization, and refined site mechanics. These are the facets that will ultimately help your website achieve and maintain high search rankings.
Armed with this insight, we urge readers to implement an analysis of their current website based on the new Google metrics update. It’s a step toward leveraging this change and ensuring your website’s seamless performance even amid these evolving times.
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