How a Good SaaS Page Experience can Help your SEO

how a good saas page experience can help your seo

Google is one of the most popular search engines and is always evolving its algorithm, making sure it curates the most accurate and easy online experience for its users.

And their latest update, Google Page Experience is another example of that.

The new algorithm judges web pages based on how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page.

In the words of Google: “The page experience signal measures aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page. Optimizing for these factors makes the web more delightful for users across all web browsers and surfaces, and helps sites evolve towards user expectations on mobile. We believe this will contribute to business success on the web as users grow more engaged and can transact with less friction.”

What it means is – If you and your competitor both have a SaaS page that has unique, high-quality content but your page gives a better user experience, your rankings will be higher.

Google’s latest update aligns with the latest marketing trends that focus more on technical SEO strategies and enhancing the user experience through code-level enhancements.

It is a win-win for all

A better page experience means an engaged user. And if search engines can get you meaningful, engaging results you’re more likely to trust them with your queries. The higher the trust they create, the more revenue they generate.

So how do websites achieve the best Page Experience to improve their Google Search rankings?

The answer requires a deeper understanding of how Google defines Page Experience and relates its metrics to the quality of a webpage’s user experience.

Page experience is made of several metrics that determine the overall experience of the user. It includes page speed, mobile-friendly versions, runs on HTTPS version, intrusive ads, and content orientation.

According to Google, “Core Web Vitals are a set of real-world, user-centered metrics that quantify key aspects of the user experience.”

They help you measure not just the page speed but the overall experience and include three major points – Loading, interactivity, visual stability.

These metrics correspond with the following major metrics:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): It measures loading performance. An LCP of less than 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading is considered a good experience
For example: If you were browsing a news website on your mobile device and opened an article, the LCP for that page would likely occur when the main featured image of the article was loaded, because images are heavier than text, and the text and other lightweight page elements are typically loaded first.

First Input Delay (FID): It measures interactivity. This makes sense because the moment a user is ready to act, the site needs to be ready to respond, otherwise, a sale, transaction, or other successful conversions could be missed. A page with a FID of less than 100 milliseconds makes for a good user experience

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): It measures visual stability. Pages that maintain a CLS of less than 0.1 provide a good user experience. If you’ve ever been frustrated when trying to read an article or tap a button, only to have the page move unexpectedly and force you to lose your place or tap the wrong button, then you’ve been a victim of bad CLS.

Here is a quick checklist to help you create a Saas website that adheres to the above-mentioned core web vitals:

1. Take a mobile-first approach

Most of the users use their mobile phones to browse the internet. This is why Google Search is now directly dependent on the quality of your site’s mobile experience. Start with optimizing the site’s mobile experience and make sure your page loads fast and is compatible with various devices and screen sizes.

2. Secure browsing experience

Your search engines will never promote your website if you don’t provide a safe browsing experience to your users. Make sure your webpage is served over a secure connection (HTTPS) and does not have malicious content that can compromise the visitor’s privacy or security.

3. Web accessibility

High-performing websites use descriptive links, proper URL structure, keyword-rich ALT texts that improve your SEO and make it easier for both the users and crawlers to access the websites.

The reward for achieving good page experience

The reward for creating a technically optimized SaaS website that offers the best user experience along with relevant content and keywords is better rankings and more organic traffic from Google.

Why? It is in the search engine’s best interest to curate and show websites that make the browsing experience easy and safe for its users.

Even before this update, search engines have prioritized pages that demonstrate expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These high on E-A-T (Expert, Authority, Trust) websites earn backlinks from prominent external websites which boost their authority, credibility, and rankings.

And now, when doing that solely based on content isn’t possible, you need differentiators like Page Experience.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that one SEO technique that is going to stay relevant for years to come is understanding what is important to search engines.

And the algorithms that have been rolling out point towards the growing importance of user engagement. If your user is happy with what they see on your website, search engines are bound to reward you.

Do you want to see if your SaaS website is providing a good page experience? Start your free KatLinks trial and use our On-Page audit tool to make sure it is.