Google’s Priority Hints Improves CWV
Google published an article encouraging developers and publishers to use the new (and experimental) “importance” priority hint attribute which can help improve Core Web Vitals and the user experience.
The Chrome browser team shared an example where a background image loaded with the Priority Hint HTML attribute saved 1.9 seconds in download time, just in that one image.
The Problem that Priority Hints Solves
Publishers can speed up the discovery of web page resources using <link rel=preload> and can also direct how and when scripts are downloaded and executed with the use of the “async” and “defer” attributes.
But publishers cannot send a signal to tell the browser which resources are important and which are not.
Google provides these examples of the problems Priority Hints solves:
“Hero images inside the viewport start at a low priority. After the layout is complete, Chrome discovers they are in the viewport and boosts their priority (unfortunately, dev tools only shows the final priority – WebPageTest will show both).
This usually adds a significant delay to loading the image. Providing the priority hint in markup lets the image start at a high priority and start loading much earlier.
The browser assigns CSS and fonts a high priority, but all such resources may not be equally important or required for LCP. You can use priority hints to lower the priority of some of these resources.”
The Importance Attribute Resource Hint
In HTML, the parts that make up a web page are called Elements. That would be the div, headings, paragraph tags, image tags, the link element, etc.
I’m pretty sure everything that’s called an HTML tag is actually an HTML element, that’s an easy way to remember what an element is.
Every element can be modified with what’s called an Attribute. Remember the nofollow attribute? The nofollow attribute modifies the <a> element.
The importance attribute modifies web page elements by giving the web browser a hint about whether a web page element is important, not important or to just let the browser decide.
The importance attribute is called a Priority Hint. The attribute gives the browser a hint that a specified element is important (or not important) and to give it a higher (or lower) priority.
The values that the “importance” attribute can communicate are:
- High
- Low
- Auto
The importance attribute resource hint is applicable to the following elements:
- link
- img
- script
- iframe
How the Resource Hints Improve Core Web Vitals
Browsers automatically compute priority levels for downloading resources.
Current tools like the “preload” attribute help give resource hints to the download of important resources like, for example fonts and images.
Other resource hints are async and defer.
All of those help speed up the download of the total document and make the document viewable and interactive faster.
But the browser still has to decide which one is more important.
According to Web.dev, a preloaded image will download but will still be assigned a low priority by the browser and delayed.
This is the explanation:
“Take a Largest Contentful Paint image, which, when preloaded, will still get a low priority.
If it is pushed back by other early low-priority resources, using Priority Hints can still help how soon the image gets loaded.”
An example of how the importance attribute is helpful is when a web page has an image carousel at the top of the viewport (the part of the browser that the site visitor currently sees).
If the carousel contains five images, all of them can be preloaded. But if the first one is assigned the “high” importance attribute and the others given the “low” attribute, the web page will display faster because the browser will now know to give a high priority to the first image.
Another example given by Google is the featured image at the top of the web page. Browser give the image a low priority and only renders it after the rest of the web page layout is completed.
Google explains:
“Providing the priority hint in markup lets the image start at a high priority and start loading much earlier.
Note that preload is still required for the early discovery of LCP images included as CSS backgrounds and can be combined with priority hints by including the importance=’high’ on the preload, otherwise it will still start with the default “Low” priority for images.”
The same thing happens with scripts that are downloaded as async or defer, they are both assigned a low priority.
By adding a Priority Hint to the important scripts the browser will be able to render the page faster and provide a better user experience.
Faster Loading Will Be Experienced by Site Visitors
The Priority Hints is undergoing what Google calls an Origin Trial. Chrome ran a trial two years ago but it didn’t get much attention.
Chrome is rolling this out in Chrome 96, which is scheduled for release on November 21, 2021. Priority hints is already available on Chrome Canary, which is the testing version of Chrome.
These features can be enabled in current versions of Chrome by typing the following in the address bar:
chrome://flags/
and then scrolling down and enabling the section labeled: Experimental Web Platform features
Screenshot: Experimental Web Platform Features
How to Review Resource Priority Level
Priority levels of resources are available for review in any version of Chrome, in the Dev Tools under the Network tab.
Click the three dots (ellipsis menu) in the top right hand corner, > More tools > Developer tools (then select the Network tab).
From there you load up a web page, right click one of the columns (like Time or Waterfall) and select Priority and you can view the priority levels.
When registered for the Priority Hints trial you can use Chrome Canary to view the updated priority for the resources and also in Chrome version 96 when it rolls out.
When you participate in this trial the priority hints will be shown to your site visitor browsers and any improvements to Core Web Vitals will be reflected from that.
However, it’s important to note that these are priority hints and not a directive.
That means that the browser does not have to strictly follow the priority hints. The browser may choose to ignore the hints and assign and computer its own order.
This can be checked in Chrome Dev Tools under the Network tab as described above.
How to Sign Up for Priority Hints Trial
Publishers need to register with Chrome to participate in the origin trials for priority hints.
The Priority Hints registration form is here:
https://developer.chrome.com/origintrials/#/view_trial/365917469723852801
Priority Hints Origin Trial
This is the second version of this origin trial. The first time it was tested there wasn’t much response. But this time could be different because of Core Web vitals.
The trial is open for registration now and it runs until March 22, 2022. The purpose of the trial is to measure developer interest and to see if it results in meaningful improvements.
Whether the feature continues after that date depends on your feedback. This is a great opportunity to improve the user experience and to be one of the first to use this new feature.
Citations
Read the Announcement of the New Priority Hints Origin Trial
Optimizing resource loading with Priority Hints
Register to Participate in the Origin Trial
Priority Hints Registration Page
Follow the Chrome Priority Hints Progress
Chrome Priority Hints Status Page
Read the Priority Hints Explainer in GitHub
Download Chrome Canary for Developers With Newest Features
Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API
Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.
Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:
“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”
This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.
What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.
But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.
Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.
How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:
- Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
- Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
- Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
- Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.
Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.
This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update
Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:
1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update
Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.
2. Changes to Google Search Interface
Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.
3. New Features and Tests
- Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
- Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
- Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.
4. Search Rankings and Quality
- Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
- Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.
5. Advice for Content Creators
- Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
- Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.
6. New Search Features in Google Chrome
Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.
7. New Tests and Features in Google Search
- Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
- Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.
8. Bing’s New Feature
Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.
9. Local Search Ranking Factors
Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.
10. Google Ads Updates
- Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
- Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
- tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
- WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.
These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.
AI
Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate
According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.
In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.
However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.
The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.
In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.
For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.
The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.
In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.
Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator
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