What are Core Web Vitals? #
Core Web Vitals are a set of key metrics that reflect real-world user experience on your web pages, focusing on:
- Loading performance
- Interactivity (responsiveness)
- Visual stability
Google recommends optimizing these metrics to improve user experience and search performance.
The 3 Core Metrics Explained: #
| Metric | What it Measures | Good Threshold |
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | How fast the main content loads | Within 2.5 seconds from page load start |
| Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | Responsiveness to user interactions | Less than 200 milliseconds |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Visual stability (avoiding unexpected layout shifts) | Score less than 0.1 |
Why Optimize Core Web Vitals? #
- They are part of Google’s ranking factors under the broader “page experience” umbrella.
- Good scores help your site rank better and keep users happy.
- Poor scores can lead to user frustration, higher bounce rates, and lost traffic.
How to Measure and Improve Core Web Vitals: #
- Use the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console to see how your pages perform.
- Use tools like Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, Web Vitals Chrome extension, and others to measure LCP, INP, and CLS.
- Follow Google’s Core Web Vitals guide for tips on debugging and improving scores.
Quick Tips to Improve: #
- Optimize images and videos for faster loading (LCP).
- Minimize JavaScript execution and improve server response times (INP).
- Reserve space for images, ads, and embeds to prevent layout shifts (CLS).