Google aims to provide the best experience for users. That’s why it created Core Web Vitals, a set of metrics focused on how people actually experience your website. By 2025, improving Core Web Vitals will be essential for SEO success.
In this blog post, we will explain what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter, and how you can improve them to enhance your rankings and user satisfaction.
🚀 What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of three performance metrics that measure key aspects of a user’s interaction with your site:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP):
- Measures how fast the main content loads. A good score is under 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID):
- Measures the time from when a user first interacts with your site (like clicking a button) to when the browser responds. A good score is under 100 milliseconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):
- Measures visual stability—how much the layout shifts as the page loads. A good score is under 0.1.
Note: In 2024, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is replacing FID as a more accurate responsiveness metric. Aim for INP < 200 ms.
đź“Š Why Core Web Vitals Matter for SEO
Google made Core Web Vitals an official ranking factor. That means if your site loads slowly or has a poor user experience, it could drop in search results, even if your content is excellent.
Websites that meet Google’s thresholds for Core Web Vitals tend to rank better and keep visitors longer, reducing bounce rates and increasing conversions.
🔍 How to Measure Core Web Vitals
You can measure Core Web Vitals using several tools:
- Google PageSpeed Insights (https://pagespeed.web.dev/)
- Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools
- Google Search Console (Experience > Core Web Vitals report)
- Web Vitals Chrome Extension
- GTmetrix or WebPageTest
These tools show your scores, plus specific suggestions to improve them.
🛠️ How to Optimize Core Web Vitals
Let’s break it down by each metric:
âś… 1. Optimizing Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP measures how quickly the largest content element (like a banner image or heading) becomes visible.
How to improve LCP:
- Use fast hosting
- Enable server-side caching
- Compress and lazy-load large images
- Use next-gen image formats (like WebP or AVIF)
- Remove render-blocking JavaScript and CSS
Bonus tip: Prioritize above-the-fold content so it loads before anything else.
âś… 2. Optimizing Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
INP (replacing FID) measures how fast your site responds to user interactions like clicks or taps.
How to improve INP:
- Minimize or defer third-party scripts
- Reduce JavaScript execution time
- Avoid long tasks on the main thread
- Use efficient event handlers
Consider breaking up long-running JavaScript with smaller chunks and using web workers.
âś… 3. Optimizing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
CLS measures how much elements move unexpectedly during page load.
How to reduce CLS:
- Set size attributes (width and height) on all images and videos
- Reserve space for ads and embeds
- Avoid inserting content above existing elements (e.g., lazy-loaded images pushing content down)
- Use stable fonts and preload them properly
Stability = trust. Preventing layout shifts keeps users focused and engaged.
⚙️ General Optimization Tips
Here are some additional steps you can take across all metrics:
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to load assets faster
- Optimize fonts with font-display: swap
- Minimize JavaScript and CSS files
- Use lazy loading for images and iframes
- Reduce third-party script usage (like chat tools or trackers)
🧪 Test, Improve, Repeat
Optimizing Core Web Vitals isn’t a one-time task. Make it a part of your regular SEO audits. Test your site after every major update, theme change, or plugin installation to ensure nothing slows you down.
âś… Final Thoughts
Core Web Vitals are no longer optional—they’re a key part of modern SEO. By improving loading speed, interaction, and visual stability, you create a better experience for your users and give your site the best chance to rank well on Google.