The Shark Tank

A few weeks ago, Google published a report allowing website owners to view their websites Interaction to Next Paint, or INP metric. This report is meant to prepare website owners for the shift from FID to INP metrics within their Google Search Console. While this is expected to be an improvement in the long run, it has raised many present concerns. Specifically, the way that Google is informing users about their INP rating has many worried about their website’s health and whether or not this upcoming update will tank their website’s ratings.

In order to grasp a firm understanding of the situation, we first need to look at Google’s INP implementation plans. Once we have a stronger comprehension of Google’s ultimate goals, we can see their current steps towards those goals and understand why they are not being properly implemented.

Google’s INP Implementation

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) and First Input Delay (FID) function very similarly to one another. Both metrics are designed to measure how quickly your website reacts to user interactions. However, while FID only considers the user’s first interaction with your page, INP considers all page interactions which makes the metric much more accurate.

Because of the increased accuracy between INP and FID, Google plans to have FID completely replaced with INP by March 2024. To help website owners prepare for the shift, Google gave website owners the ability to set their search console to report INP data. This update happened a few weeks ago and while many are excited for the shift, there are concerns with how Google is allowing users to view these metrics in the interim.

Email Concerns

The shift from FID to INP could be a detriment to websites that react quickly to the first interaction by a user but slow down as users interact more with the page. To help people prepare, Google’s search console now allows website owners to view their INP scores an even will send emails to the owner’s email to alert them about poor scores.

These email notices are sent by Google through their search console to the website owner. They are designed to inform site owners that Google has detected issues with their website’s INP scores. Additionally, these emails are able to list a maximum of ten site URLs so that those who own and manage several websites are able to stay up-to-date with all of their domains.

This process sounds like an effective solution to prepare the public for the shift in metrics. However, the email system has many concerned. People who have received these emails have worries that poor INP scores will cause Google to poorly rate their website, leading to demotions in Google search results. However, there is no need to worry. While Google is measuring INP and allowing website owners to view their INP scores, they are not currently factored into your site’s ranking. If you want to improve your INP score, you have several months to do so before the switch from FID to INP goes into effect fully. 

Additionally, INP likely won’t make a large impact on your website’s ranking post-implementation. INP is only one metric under the page experience aspect of Google search. The page experience aspect itself is only one aspect within the several that are calculated together to produce a website’s ranking within the algorithm. Currently, relevance is still the most important factor of your website and should be the main focus of your website improvement process. 

Relax Your Website Worries

It can be difficult to comprehend the mass amount of information published by Google about their search algorithm. Monitoring search engine updates across several platforms requires a large, dedicated team that is specialized in website SEO, Google Analytics, and the measurement structures of other search engines like Bing. Our team at BluShark Digital is available to help expand and express your business in the digital marketplace. Contact us today to see how we can help you get ahead of your competition using cutting edge technology.