The Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that Google has implemented to evaluate the user experience on a website. These metrics focus on aspects such as loading speed, interactivity and visual stability, and are now an important factor for positioning in search results. Optimizing your site according to these metrics is essential to improve your SEO and ensure a smooth experience for users.
Throughout this post, we’ll explore each Core Web Vitals metric and give you tips for optimizing your site.
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals (Core Web Metrics) are three specific metrics that Google uses to measure the quality of the user experience on a web page. These metrics are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures the time it takes for the main content to appear on screen.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures the response time when a user first interacts with the page.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures the visual stability of the page, i.e. how much the elements shift while loading.
Optimizing each of these metrics helps create a faster, more stable and attractive site, which is essential for both users and SEO.
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Speed of Loading of the Main Content
The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures the time it takes for the main content element to load and be visible to the user. Google considers that an ideal LCP should occur in less than 2.5 seconds from the start of page load.
How to optimize it:
- Optimize images: Compress images and use modern formats such as WebP to reduce loading time.
- Enable caching: This allows site elements to be stored locally and load faster on recurring visits.
- Minimizes CSS and JavaScript: Reduce the size of CSS and JavaScript files to make them load faster.
LCP measurement tools: Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse provide LCP data and offer specific recommendations for improvement.
2. First Input Delay (FID): Interact Response Time
The First Input Delay (FID) measures how quickly a page responds to the first user interaction, such as clicking a link or button. For a good user experience, the FID should be less than 100 milliseconds.
How to optimize it:
- Reduce the use of heavy JavaScript: Avoid excessive use of JavaScript, as it can slow down the response.
- Lazy loading: Uses lazy loading techniques to load only the necessary items at the time the user needs them.
- Splits JavaScript tasks: Fragments complex JavaScript tasks into smaller tasks so that the browser can respond more quickly to interactions.
Tools to measure FID: Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report provide information on FID and tips on how to reduce it.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Visual Stability
The Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures the stability of the elements on the screen while the page loads. A high CLS score indicates that page elements are moving or scrolling, which can be annoying to the user. Google considers that CLS should be less than 0.1 to provide a good user experience.
How to optimize it:
- Set dimensions for multimedia elements: Assign fixed dimensions to images and videos to prevent the page from rearranging when loading.
- Avoid inserting dynamic content without reserved space: If you have ads or banners that load dynamically, reserve a fixed space for them.
- Minimize loading of external fonts: Text fonts may cause relocations when loading. Use system fonts or minimize loading of external fonts.
Tools to measure CLS: Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse provide CLS metrics and tips to reduce it.
Tools for Measuring and Monitoring Core Web Vitals
To measure Core Web Vitals and evaluate your site’s performance, Google offers several free tools:
- Google PageSpeed Insights: Provides detailed analysis of Core Web Vitals and specific recommendations to improve performance.
- Google Search Console: The Core Web Vitals report in Search Console shows you the performance of all pages on your site in terms of LCP, FID and CLS.
- Lighthouse: Tool integrated into the Chrome browser that provides a detailed analysis of the performance, accessibility and SEO of a specific page.
These tools are essential for monitoring your site’s performance and making adjustments based on metrics that need optimization.
General Tips for Optimizing Core Web Vitals
In addition to the specific recommendations for LCP, FID and CLS, here are some general tips to improve your site’s performance:
- Uses a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN distributes content across multiple servers around the world, reducing load times for users in different locations.
- Optimize the server: If your server is slow, consider upgrading to a faster one or choosing a hosting provider optimized for performance.
- Enable file compression: Use GZIP or Brotli compression to reduce file size and improve loading speed.
- Minimize the use of plugins: Unnecessary plugins can slow down your site. Use only the essential ones and make sure they are up to date.
The Core Web Vitals are a crucial component of modern SEO, as Google uses them to measure user experience and adjust page rankings in search results. By optimizing your site to improve LCP, FID and CLS, you will not only be meeting Google’s expectations, but you will also provide a smoother and more enjoyable experience for your visitors. Use the tools available and follow the optimization tips to ensure your site is ready for Core Web Vitals and able to compete for the top spots in search results.
Need help optimizing your site to meet the Core Web Vitals? Contact us for a personalized consultation and find out how to improve your site’s performance and your SEO ranking.
