--- title: "Page experience update for desktop: dates and what to do" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/february-2022-page-experience-update-desktop section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Page speed", "Technical SEO"] --- # Page experience update for desktop: dates and what to do ## The short answer Google's page experience update for desktop started on 22 February 2022 and finished on 3 March 2022, a 9-day rollout. It applied the page experience signals used on mobile since 2021 to desktop ranking: Core Web Vitals, HTTPS and no intrusive interstitials. Mobile-friendliness was not part of the desktop signal. ## Key takeaways - The Search Status Dashboard dates the rollout from 22 February 2022 to 3 March 2022. - It brought the page experience signals used for mobile ranking to desktop ranking. - Core Web Vitals, HTTPS and the absence of intrusive interstitials applied on desktop. - Google said mobile-friendliness would not be a factor for desktop ranking. - Search Console added a Desktop section to its Page Experience report in January 2022. ## What Google changed Google announced the timeline on 4 November 2021 in its [Search Central post](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/11/bringing-page-experience-to-desktop). The update extended the page experience ranking rolled out on mobile between June and August 2021 to desktop, "based on the same page experience signals." On desktop that meant the three Core Web Vitals metrics of the time (LCP, FID and CLS) with the same thresholds as mobile, plus HTTPS security and the absence of intrusive interstitials. Google wrote that "while the mobile-friendliness signal continues to be a part of mobile ranking, it won't be a factor for desktop." Where a site has separate desktop and mobile URLs, the desktop signal is based on the URLs desktop users see. ## When it rolled out Google updated its post on 22 February 2022: "The page experience update is now slowly rolling out for desktop," with completion expected by the end of March 2022. The [Search Status Dashboard](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/zDCQR5mxLU3ZrQeQvwqN) records an earlier finish: 22 February 2022 to 3 March 2022, a total of 9 days, all times US/Pacific. The dashboard entry was added on 22 March 2023. No other confirmed update overlapped it. The March 2022 product reviews update began on 23 March, 20 days after this rollout completed. ## What is known about its impact Google did not publish impact figures. Its current page experience documentation says Google "always seeks to show the most relevant content, even if the page experience is sub-par," and that a great page experience can contribute to success where many helpful pages compete. Treat any percentage you see attributed to this update as a third-party estimate. ## What site owners should do Google's [page experience guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/page-experience) frames it as a self-assessment rather than a checklist to max out: - Check desktop Core Web Vitals in Search Console, which added a Desktop section to its Page Experience report on 17 January 2022. - Serve every page over HTTPS and avoid intrusive interstitials. - Keep ads from distracting from or interfering with the main content. - Do not chase a perfect score: Google says good Core Web Vitals do not guarantee top rankings. - Note that INP replaced FID as a Core Web Vitals metric on 12 March 2024. ## How to check whether it affected you In Search Console, filter the Performance report to the Desktop device and compare clicks for the week before 22 February 2022 with the week starting 11 March 2022, a full week after completion. Compare against mobile over the same weeks: a desktop-only shift fits this update. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every confirmed update with its dates, so you can rule out overlapping rollouts before attributing a change to this one. ## Related updates - The [page experience update](/updates/page-experience-update-2021) brought these signals to mobile ranking in 2021. - The [December 2021 product reviews update](/updates/december-2021-product-reviews-update) was the confirmed update before it. - The [March 2022 product reviews update](/updates/march-2022-product-reviews-update) was the next confirmed update. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did the page experience update for desktop start and finish? The Google Search Status Dashboard records the start on 22 February 2022 and completion on 3 March 2022, a 9-day rollout. Google's earlier blog post had said the rollout would be complete by the end of March 2022. ### Which signals did the desktop page experience update use? The same Core Web Vitals metrics and thresholds as mobile (LCP, FID and CLS at the time), HTTPS security and the absence of intrusive interstitials. Mobile-friendliness stayed a mobile-only signal. ### Is FID still part of Core Web Vitals? No. Google's post was updated to note that Interaction to Next Paint (INP) replaced FID as a Core Web Vitals metric on 12 March 2024. ### Does a perfect Core Web Vitals score guarantee top rankings? No. Google's page experience documentation says good results in Search Console or third-party tools do not guarantee top rankings, and that chasing a perfect score for SEO alone may not be the best use of time. ## Sources 1. [Page experience update for desktop (incident)](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/zDCQR5mxLU3ZrQeQvwqN) - Google Search Status Dashboard (primary) 2. [Timeline for bringing page experience ranking to desktop](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/11/bringing-page-experience-to-desktop) - Google Search Central Blog (primary) 3. [Understanding page experience in Google Search results](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/page-experience) - Google Search Central (primary)