Webpages that are ‘informational’ in nature and optimised for mobile are the most likely to receive a Core Web Vitals ranking boost, according to a new study from BrightEdge.
The SEO platform provider analysed four industries to see which sites are in the best place to benefit from the new ranking signal that incorporates the much-talked about Core Web Vitals.
Google is planning to introduce the signal, which is based on user and page experience factors such as load time and visual stability, in May.
BrightEdge compared sites in finance, business to business (B2B), educational and retail by testing specific URLs in each that drive organic visibility in search.
It found that finance is currently in the best position as 24% of top-performing URLs would get a ranking boost from the vitals.
This is mainly due to many of the pages within this niche being informational.
In stark contrast, hardly any of the retail sites tested stand to benefit, with the study attributing this to the fact that many of the pages are transactional in nature rather than informational.
Retail pages were also more likely to have pop-ups that weigh down scores for specific vitals such as Layout Shift.
Informational sites also did well in the B2B niche, where 13% of top performers could get a boost.
Summarising its findings, BrightEdge said that the mobile experience will be critical for all categories, and that problems with image compression is something that many brands will have to contend with in the future.
There was also a prediction for “significant disruption” in retail if sites lower down in SERPs are able to get a boost from the new algorithm.
BrightEdge CEO Jim Yu noted: “However, it’s important to remember that – especially in large enterprises, nuances and challenges differ – and what the roll-out may look like today may differ entirely over time and in May.”
