Google made the Core Web Vitals standards to see how well a website works for people. Google didn't just make these numbers up for fun. They are based on research and try to show how things work in the real world. The three most important players are Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) First Input Delay (FID) and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). Each one focuses on a different part of the user's experience.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) This number tells you how long it takes to load. It looks at how long it takes for the biggest part of a page to load in particular. Imagine that this is the point at which the user can see the main content. This should happen in less than 5 seconds.
First Input Delay (FID) The most important thing is how much your site lets people interact with it. FID measures the time it takes for a browser to respond after a user first interacts with your page like by clicking a button. A good FID score should be less than 100 ms.
Why are people making such a big deal about these figures? Because they directly affect how high Google puts your site in the search results. Search rankings are like a contest to see who is the most popular. If your site doesn't do well in Core Web Vitals you could lose to the competition even if your content is great.
In 2021 Google said for sure that Core Web Vitals are a factor in rankings. This means that all else being equal a site with better vitals will do better than one without. Let's be honest loading speed isn't just for search engines. People don't have time to wait. They will stay interested if the page loads quickly responds quickly and looks like it will stay up. Slow and heavy? They'll leave and go right to your competitors.
SEO and user experience have always been linked. But Core Web Vitals put numbers on what a lot of people have been saying for a long time make it quick and make it good. Also good web vitals usually mean that a site works well on a lot of different networks and devices. You should listen when Google speaks. They're not just looking at how good you are at tech they're also looking at how much people like or dislike using your site.
Okay so you're in. You know that Core Web Vitals are important. But how do you know how much they are? Fortunately Google has given you a set of tools. Some tools are Google PageSpeed Insights Lighthouse and Search Console. Let's get to work.
What Google PageSpeed tells us This tool lets you see how your website stacks up against others including Core Web Vitals. Type in your site and you'll get a full report with ideas.
Lighthouse A free tool that runs automatically and speeds up web pages. You can see how well you're doing in the Web Vitals section. You can add a browser extension to Lighthouse to do a full analysis.
You don't need to be a coding expert to make your Core Web Vitals better. Sometimes little things can make a big difference. Let's talk about some real ways to improve those scores.
Improve Images A lot of the time pictures are too big. TinyPNG and other tools can help you reduce the size of images without losing quality. Remember that people are happier when pages load quickly.
Use caching in your browser Make sure your server tells a visitor's browser to save files so that users who come back can load them faster. It's like letting them go ahead of everyone else because they've been there before.
Okay so you're in. You know that Core Web Vitals are important. But how do you know how much they are? Fortunately Google has given you a set of tools. Some tools are Google PageSpeed Insights Lighthouse and Search Console. Let's get to work.
What Google PageSpeed tells us This tool lets you see how your website stacks up against others including Core Web Vitals. Type in your site and you'll get a full report with ideas.
Lighthouse A free tool that runs automatically and speeds up web pages. You can see how well you're doing in the Web Vitals section. You can add a browser extension to Lighthouse to do a full analysis.
Search Console This tool is helpful for more than just SEO experts it's also helpful for business owners. The Core Web Vitals report gives you a summary and tells you about any big issues. Check these every day just like you check your email.
There are good and bad things about every tool. Lighthouse is better for audits but Google PageSpeed is better for how the site works for users. In the end it's important to look at the whole picture. Advisors will tell you to "test fix and do it again." But sometimes just one change can make a big difference in your scores.
You don't need to be a coding expert to make your Core Web Vitals better. Sometimes little things can make a big difference. Let's talk about some real ways to improve those scores.
Improve Images A lot of the time pictures are too big. TinyPNG and other tools can help you reduce the size of images without losing quality. Remember that people are happier when pages load quickly.
Use caching in your browser Make sure your server tells a visitor's browser to save files so that users who come back can load them faster. It's like letting them go ahead of everyone else because they've been there before.
Make CSS JS and HTML smaller Take out extra characters to make the file smaller. MinifyCode and other tools can help.
Make the server respond faster If your server is drumming to a slow beat it will hurt your website. Check out hosting options and think about using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare to make things faster all over the world.
These changes might help but don't forget to keep track of how they affect things over time. It might take a week or two for your changes to show up properly. Wait.
So what does this mean for business owners? How do Core Web Vitals affect money in the real world? Well think about how many people leave your site. If your LCP is bad people might leave before they even see your products. Not a good FID? People might not be able to sign up or check out quickly. And what about those changes in layout? It can be frustrating and hurt conversions.
Not only do sites that don't do well in search rankings lose money they also lose money. It's not just a theory ask store owners who have seen their conversion rates go up just by cutting a few seconds off of load time. Different parts of Core Web Vitals can have a big effect on different parts of the user journey. Fixing them isn't just good for Google it's good for your business too.
Even small businesses that sell pet supplies or offer salon services can lose customers to competitors with better faster websites. You need to be the best at what you do and the easiest and quickest to talk to online.
In short Core Web Vitals sets a standard for better online experiences. They may sound technical but they're teaching us all a very important lesson people want things to be quick and easy. If you do these things right your whole online game will get better. Take a page from Google's book and make your site easy to use and fun. It's your turn now that you know what to aim for.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
