Google Search Console to Remove Page Experience, Mobile Usability Reports and Mobile-Friendly Tests by Dec 2023

Google recently announced that it will be retiring the Page Experience report within its Search Console, along with the Mobile Usability report, the Mobile-Friendly Test tool, and Mobile-Friendly Test API. These changes are set to take effect from December 1, 2023.

The Page Experience report was initially launched to provide site owners with an overview of the key metrics that align with good page experience. The report’s retirement doesn’t mean that Google is deprioritizing page experience. Instead, it’s simply an acknowledgment that there are many other robust resources available for evaluating page experience, including Page Speed Insights & Lighthouse from Chrome.

While the Page Experience report will no longer be available, site owners can still use the Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports that will remain in Search Console. Additionally, Google has updated its guidance on creating helpful content to include a new section on page experience. The updated guidance aims to help site owners consider page experience more holistically as part of the content creation process.

It’s important to note that page experience remains a critical factor for success with Google Search. As such, site owners should continue to focus on providing a great page experience for their visitors. This involves taking an holistic approach and evaluating all the different aspects of page experience, including mobile usability, Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, and intrusive interstitials.

The retirement of the Mobile Usability report and the Mobile-Friendly Test tool and API doesn’t mean that mobile usability is any less important for success with Google Search. On the contrary, it remains critical, especially as more and more users are accessing websites on mobile devices. Instead, the retirement simply reflects the fact that there are now many other robust resources available for evaluating mobile usability, including Lighthouse from Chrome.

Overall, these changes highlight the importance of providing a great page experience for visitors to your site. While the retirement of certain Search Console reports may cause some inconvenience, site owners can still use other tools and resources to evaluate page experience and mobile usability.

Going forward, site owners should continue to prioritize page experience as part of their content creation process. By doing so, they can not only succeed with their visitors but also increase their chances of ranking well in Google Search.