Google: Pages Are Getting Larger & It Still Matters via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

In a recent discussion on Twitter, Google's Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt shed light on the growing size of web pages and its implications for search engine optimization (SEO). The conversation centered around the 15MB crawl limit imposed by Google and whether structured data is contributing to the bloat of web pages. This topic has been of significant interest to the SEO community, as page weight can impact both user experience and search engine rankings.

Gary Illyes, a well-known engineer at Google, has previously spoken about the 15MB crawl budget, which refers to the maximum amount of data that Googlebot, Google's crawler, can consume from a single page. This limit is in place to prevent overly large pages from consuming excessive server resources and slowing down the crawling process. However, Illyes noted that the average page size has been increasing over time, with some pages now exceeding the 15MB threshold. This trend raises concerns about the efficiency of crawling and the potential impact on SEO.

Martin Splitt, another Google engineer, chimed in to discuss the role of structured data in this context. Structured data, which includes elements like schema markup, is designed to provide search engines with additional context about the content on a web page. While this can be beneficial for understanding and ranking pages, there are concerns that the inclusion of structured data might be contributing to the overall size of web pages. Splitt acknowledged that structured data can add some overhead, but emphasized that its benefits often outweigh the costs.

The discussion also touched upon the broader implications of larger pages for user experience. As pages grow in size, they can become slower to load, which can lead to higher bounce rates and a poorer user experience. This, in turn, can negatively impact SEO, as search engines increasingly prioritize user experience in their ranking algorithms. Therefore, there is a need for web developers and SEO professionals to find a balance between providing rich, structured content and keeping page sizes manageable.

One potential solution to address the growing page sizes is the adoption of progressive enhancement techniques. This approach involves building lightweight, mobile-first pages that load quickly, while also providing additional content and functionality for users with faster connections or more advanced devices. This not only improves user experience but also helps to keep page sizes under control, making them more crawl-efficient for search engines.

Another angle to consider is the impact of larger pages on server resources and performance. As more pages approach or exceed the 15MB crawl limit, there may be increased demand on servers to handle the load. This can lead to slower response times and potential issues with server capacity. To mitigate these challenges, web developers may need to optimize their content delivery and consider strategies like content delivery networks (CDNs) or compression techniques to reduce page size without sacrificing essential content.

In conclusion, the growing size of web pages and the 15MB crawl limit imposed by Google are significant issues that warrant attention from the SEO and web development communities. While structured data can add value by providing search engines with additional context, its contribution to page bloat must be carefully managed. By focusing on user experience, adopting progressive enhancement techniques, and optimizing server resources, it is possible to create web pages that are both crawl-efficient and effective in delivering value to both users and search engines. As the conversation between Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt highlights, the challenge of balancing page weight and SEO is an ongoing one that requires thoughtful consideration and strategic planning.