There are countless factors that influence how visible—or not—your website is on Google. One of the most significant factors is Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV).
In this article, we’ll explain what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter, and how you can improve your website’s performance to ensure it meets Google’s standards.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a group of performance indicators Google uses to evaluate critical elements of a website’s user experience.
In essence, CWV helps Google understand how your website feels to users—and Google rewards sites that provide a smooth, fast, and stable experience.
The three primary metrics that define Core Web Vitals are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading time.
- Interaction To Next Paint (INP): Measures responsiveness.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability.
Optimizing your CWV will not only enhance your website’s search visibility, but also improve the overall experience for your visitors.
Core Web Vitals Metrics
Let’s dive deeper into each of these metrics to understand their importance and how to optimize them.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP measures how long it takes for the largest visible element on your page (like an image, block of text, or video) to load and become visible to the user.
Users don’t like to wait. If your site’s key content takes too long to load, visitors are more likely to leave, leading to higher bounce rates.
The faster users can access your most important content, the better their experience and the more likely they are to stay on your site.
Optimal LCP Time: To meet Google’s standards, your website’s LCP should be under 2.5 seconds.
How To Improve LCP Score:
- Compress images: Large, high-resolution images can significantly slow down load times. Compress your images without sacrificing quality.
- Reduce above-the-fold content: Only display what’s necessary at the top of the page and move secondary content lower.
- Enable lazy loading: This ensures that images and videos are only loaded when they appear on the screen, reducing initial load times.
- Use a faster web host: A reliable web hosting provider with optimized servers can drastically improve your LCP performance.
Interaction To Next Paint (INP)
INP measures how responsive your site is when a user interacts with it. This could include anything from clicking a button to submitting a form. INP replaces the previous metric, First Input Delay (FID), by measuring responsiveness more comprehensively.
Users expect websites to respond instantly when they click on something or fill out a form. A slow response time can frustrate users, driving them away from your site.
Optimal INP Time: Your website’s INP should be under 200 milliseconds for the best user experience.
How To Improve INP Score:
- Reduce third-party code impact: Excessive tracking scripts, ads, or widgets can slow your site’s responsiveness. Try to reduce the amount of third-party code running on your site.
- Minimize JavaScript execution time: Optimize your JavaScript to reduce delays in processing user interactions.
- Cut down on large files: Make sure your page doesn’t try to load large files all at once, which can delay response times.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
CLS measures the visual stability of your web page, specifically how often elements shift or move around unexpectedly as the page loads.
Nothing frustrates users more than trying to click a button or link, only to have it shift unexpectedly right before they do. Layout shifts can make your site seem unstable and unprofessional, negatively impacting the user experience.
Optimal CLS Score: Aim for a CLS score of less than 0.1. A score of 0 is ideal, meaning no unexpected shifts occur.
How To Improve CLS Score:
- Set size attributes for media: Define the width and height for all images and videos to prevent layout shifts as they load.
- Reserve space for dynamic content: If you’re running ads or loading dynamic elements like pop-ups, make sure there’s space reserved so they don’t cause the layout to shift unexpectedly.
- Use consistent fonts: Avoid switching fonts mid-load, which can cause layout shifts as new fonts are rendered.
How Core Web Vitals Affect SEO
Core Web Vitals directly affect your website’s performance in Google’s search rankings. Websites that provide a fast, responsive, and stable user experience are favored by Google, leading to better search engine visibility.
A better CWV score not only helps you rank higher, but it also keeps users engaged with your site.
In addition to CWV, Google evaluates other aspects of page experience, such as:
- Mobile optimization: Your website should be mobile-friendly.
- HTTPS usage: Secure sites are prioritized in rankings.
- Safe content: Avoid misleading or malicious content.
Focusing on Core Web Vitals alongside these broader signals is a crucial strategy for improving both SEO and user retention.
Monitoring Core Web Vitals
If you’re wondering how to check your site’s Core Web Vitals, Google provides several helpful tools:
- Google Search Console: Within the “Experience” section, you’ll find a dedicated report for Core Web Vitals. This tool gives you an overview of your website’s performance, showing which pages need improvement.
- PageSpeed Insights: This tool provides detailed reports on your website’s speed and suggestions for optimization. It’s a quick way to see how well your site performs across CWV metrics.
Using these tools will help you identify the areas where your website needs improvement and offer insights into how to enhance its performance.
Need Additional Help Improving Your Core Web Vitals?
Optimizing Core Web Vitals can be a technical and time-consuming task, but it’s essential for your website’s success. Fortunately, you don’t have to tackle it alone.
At Alchemy, we specialize in all aspects of web design, development, and optimization. Our team of experts will make sure your website delivers an exceptional user experience while improving your search engine rankings.
If you need help improving your Core Web Vitals, give us a call at 877-978-2110 and let us take your website’s performance to the next level.
