February 2022 Page Experience Update (desktop)
Extension of the page experience signal to desktop results, after its introduction on mobile in 2021.
Key points
- The page experience signal, already active on mobile since 2021, extends to desktop results.
- Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID at the time, CLS) are taken into account on desktop.
- The mobile-friendly criterion does not apply to desktop ranking, unlike the rest of the signals.
- Gradual rollout completed at the end of March 2022, with a generally modest effect.
Analysis
Google harmonizes its technical signals across devices: after introducing page experience on mobile, it activates it on desktop to reward pages that are fast, stable and secure regardless of the device. The change does not upend rankings because page experience remains a tie-breaking signal, but it makes technical optimization unavoidable on both versions of a site.
For sites with mostly desktop traffic (B2B, software, professional sectors), it is a reminder that performance is no longer measured on mobile alone. A site that neglected its desktop Core Web Vitals loses a differentiating factor against competitors of equivalent relevance.
What to do
- Audit desktop Core Web Vitals in Search Console (dedicated report) and fix URLs in the orange or red zone.
- Check the consistency of mobile and desktop performance on strategic pages, especially LCP and CLS.
- Address HTTPS issues, intrusive interstitials and visual stability across all templates, not just mobile.
Core Web Vitals also count on desktop. Consistent technical optimization across all devices.