Everything you need to know about page experience in 2025

Google’s page experience update set a new benchmark for creating user-friendly websites.

It highlighted the growing importance of performance and usability in SEO by emphasizing Core Web Vitals, responsive design and minimal intrusive elements.

This article traces the evolution of the algorithm update and its integration with other Google priorities, such as the helpful content update and practical steps to align with these standards in 2025.

An introduction to the page experience update

Google’s page experience update, which went live in June 2021 and fully rolled out by February 2022, represented a pivotal moment in the company’s ongoing commitment to improving web usability. 

Building on a legacy of user-focused initiatives – such as the 2012 page layout algorithm, which targeted sites with excessive above-the-fold ads – this update refined Google’s approach to user-centric design, placing greater emphasis on tangible metrics and performance benchmarks.

Ahead of its implementation, Google provided detailed guidance in April 2021, signaling significant changes on the horizon. 

Central to the update was the introduction of Core Web Vitals, a set of metrics designed to measure key aspects of user experience, such as page loading speed and interactivity. 

This shift also marked the gradual deprecation of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) as a requirement for top search results.

Notably, one of the initial Core Web Vitals, First Input Delay (FID), has since been replaced by Interaction to Next Paint (INP). 

Recently, Google removed the page experience report in Search Console to reduce clutter and simplify navigation.

From the start, the page experience update communicated a clear directive: webpages must be responsive, accessible and user-friendly. 

The question remains: How has this update evolved over time?

The evolution of the page experience update

Since 2021, direct updates from Google explicitly focused on the page experience update have been sparse, creating something of a “black hole” regarding its standalone evolution. 

However, Google has continued referencing “page experience” in subsequent updates. 

This documentation, originally published in 2021 and updated in April 2023, helps us understand the evolution of the page experience update:

Between 2021 and 2023, most materials on the page experience focused on adhering to Core Web Vitals.

Several of Google’s resources on page experience are linked to the helpful content update:

Like this Google Search Central doc on “The role of page experience in helpful content.”

While Google stated that there were no significant updates to their page experience update, it’s interesting to know that helpful content and page experience are fundamentally connected.

Google then linked to their “Understanding page experience in Google Search results” page, which had been revised:

Page experience in 2025

Google provided SEOs with a page experience checklist on the previously mentioned page.

• Perform well for the Core Web Vitals assessment.
• Serve pages via secure protocols (HTTPS, HSTS implemented).
• Use responsive mobile design.
• Avoid using excessive amounts of ads, particularly above the fold. (This relates to Google’s earlier page layout algorithm update.)
• Avoid using intrusive overlays (e.g., for regional content choices) that take up too much space above the fold

These are all solid recommendations, let’s break them down so they are easier to understand.

Core Web Vitals: A key element of Google page experience

Since its inception in the early 2020s, responsiveness has been a key aspect of Google page experience evaluations. 

Previously, Google evaluated page-speed performance against lab-based metrics and a numeric page-speed rating. 

Google used CrUX (Chrome UX report) data, which was field-based (real user data vs. mobile emulators), to enhance its understanding of page-speed performance.

Page responsiveness and Core Web Vitals have always been central to Google’s page experience criteria. 

These metrics remain unchanged, so focus on understanding and improving them.

As the web grows faster and more competitive, consider tools like server-side rendering or parallel JavaScript deployment to enhance performance and maintain your edge.

Serve pages via secure protocols

Many years ago, HTTPS (the secure version of the HTTP protocol) was a ranking factor. Sites that served all pages and resources via secure protocols gained a ranking edge. 

That’s no longer true. In 2025, this is an absolute expectation from Google. Nowadays, exploring additional technologies such as HSTS (strict transport security) is prudent. 

Make sure that redirects are in place to move users from insecure to secure content.

Responsive mobile design

Much like HTTPS, this is an area where Google used to give ranking bonuses to responsive sites that render correctly on mobile. Once again, this is now an expectation. 

Don’t use separate mobile sites with separate codebases. Instead, ensure that your dynamic CSS can render pages responsively, regardless of the device or viewport width. 

Less responsive sites can still perform, but only if there’s no competition.

Avoid excessive deployment of on-page ads

Google has taken a strong stance against above-the-fold advertising content since 2012.

If most of your page has ads and affiliate links, that will hurt your SEO, especially if most of the screen real estate has ads above the fold.

Focus on giving users the information they want first. Ads are important for revenue, but they should be easy for users to notice or ignore.

Google expects users to have control, so avoid overwhelming them with ads that make finding the information they need hard.

Avoid intrusive overlays and interstitials

Just like ads, intrusive overlays and interstitials prevent users from finding the information they seek. 

Common issues include:

• Newsletter sign-up pop-ups that are too large (taking up the majority of the screen).
• Regional redirect notices that move users to the correct version of your site. 

Neither of these notices is innately bad, but if they take up most of your above-the-fold screen real estate, beware.

Users should first be able to interact with your pages and find the information they are looking for. 

Interstitials can be helpful, but they should not block users from completing their main tasks.

In such a scenario, Google will likely demote your pages within search rankings.

Page experience takeaways for 2025 and beyond

With search engine algorithms and user expectations continuously shifting, the page experience metrics we prioritize today will lay the foundation for success in the coming years.

Historical foundations

• Google’s focus on page experience predates the formal update. 
• Policies like the 2012 page layout algorithm showcased their longstanding commitment to user-centric web design.

Core Web Vitals remain central

• The Core Web Vitals continue to form the backbone of Google’s page experience criteria. 
• Metrics such as LCP, CLS and INP highlight the importance of site performance and responsiveness.

Emphasis on standard expectations

• Technologies such as the HTTPS protocol and responsive mobile design, once competitive advantages, are now minimum standards. 
• Google no longer rewards these implementations. Instead, their absence could harm rankings.

Advertising constraints

• Google penalizes sites with excessive or poorly placed ads, particularly those dominating above-the-fold space. 
• This approach ensures users can access content without unnecessary distractions.

Avoiding intrusive elements

• Overlays and interstitials (e.g., large pop-ups or redirect notices) should not block users from accessing key content. 
• While these elements can serve useful purposes, they must not impede the primary user interaction.

Helpful content alignment

• The page experience update now intersects significantly with Google’s helpful content update, reinforcing the importance of meeting user intent and providing value through content.

Iterative enhancements

• Although there haven’t been many major updates to page experience since 2021, the underpinning principles are regularly updated to align with broader SEO trends and user expectations.

These insights confirm Google’s commitment to a fast, user-friendly and informative web ecosystem, rewarding those who align with Google’s evolving priorities and psychological UX principles.