One of our search team members noticed some changes to Google’s Page Speed Tool this morning, with the rollout of ‘User Experience’ recommendations for mobile.

It appears Google is now taking a view on whether ‘tap targets’ (buttons, links, etc) are ‘too small’ for users on mobile touchscreen devices:

If we run the Co-Operative Bank website through, for example (a site that hasn’t got a mobile-optimised site), we get a whole list of recommendations:

At the moment, the ‘see screenshot’ link is inactive.

Google is also recommending that the viewport be configured for mobile users, effectively calling the Co-Op bank website out for showing the same site to users on mobile as on desktops:

Impact on Search?

Back at PubCon in October this year, Google’s Matt Cutts advised users that their mobile organic traffic is likely to be negatively impacted if they offer users a poor experience. These recommendations could give us some insight into several factors that could be taken into account (aside from things like the use of Flash and mobile load speed) when Google is considering whether or not you are offering such users a good experience.

Is the Page Speed Score About to Become a ‘User Experience’ Score?

What’s interesting about this is that Google specifies on the new user experience recommendations that these recommendations are, “not currently a part of the overall score.”

Not currently part of the score. Does this imply that they are about to become a part of the overall score? And as some of these are out-and-out user experience recommendations (rather than Page Speed recommendations) does that imply that the future of Google’s own Page Speed tool lies in becoming more of a ‘user experience’ centric tool? Given the focus Google is placing on users and the tight link between load speed and user experience, it would certainly make sense that, if Google can offer recommendations in improving things for users, that it should do!

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this!