Google Clarifies Page Experience as a Ranking “Signal” Rather than a Ranking “System”
Google has recently clarified its stance on page experience, mobile-friendliness, page speed, and secure site factors, stating that they are ranking “signals” instead of ranking “systems.” Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, addressed the confusion on Twitter, explaining that these factors were signals used by other systems rather than being standalone ranking systems themselves.
The confusion stemmed from Google’s removal of several ranking systems from its help documentation. Notably, Google removed the page experience system from the main list without adding it to the retired list and took out mobile-friendly ranking, page speed, and secure sites systems from the retired list in the help document.
Further confusion arose when Google made changes to its content page about page experience, adjusting the ranking system help document page. There, Google stated that page experience was merely a “concept.” The company explained that the page experience update was a concept to outline key aspects for site owners to focus on, such as introducing Core Web Vitals as a new signal considered by core ranking systems, along with other page experience signals like HTTPS.
Danny Sullivan posted a detailed explanation on Twitter, stating, “Taking them off didn’t mean we no longer consider aspects of page experience. It just meant these weren’t ranking systems but instead signals used by other systems.” The ranking system page was changed because the various page experience “updates” were mistakenly added as systems when they should have been classified as signals.
Sullivan added, “As to the confusion that’s come up, we didn’t direct people to review the ranking systems page last week as part of our guidance about page experience. It wouldn’t have made sense. We dropped the systems that were actually signals so that if people did go to that page in the future, they wouldn’t (hopefully) get confused.” He emphasized that Google’s core ranking systems aim to reward content that provides a good page experience.
Ultimately all you need to know is that the page experience is considered a ranking “signal” and a “concept,” rather than a ranking “system.”