Google Core Web Vitals are a set of three metrics that measure the real-world user experience of a webpage.
The three main elements of Core Web Vitals:
- Loading performance: How fast the page loads, specifically the time it takes for the largest content element (LCP) to appear.
- Interactivity: How responsive the page is to user interaction, measured by First Input Delay (FID).
- Visual stability: How much the page layout shifts after it starts loading, measured by Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
A good Core Web Vitals score means that your website is fast, responsive, and stable, which can lead to:
- Improved user engagement: Users are more likely to stay on a page that loads quickly and doesn't jump around.
- Higher search ranking: Google has said that Core Web Vitals will be a ranking factor, so a good score can help you rank higher in search results.
- Increased conversions: Users are more likely to convert (e.g., make a purchase or sign up for a newsletter) on a website that provides a good user experience.
Specific thresholds for each Core Web Vitals metric:
- LCP: Good: under 2.5 seconds. Fair: 2.5 to 4 seconds. Poor: over 4 seconds.
- FID: Good: under 100 milliseconds. Fair: 100 to 300 milliseconds. Poor: over 300 milliseconds.
- CLS: Good: under 0.1. Fair: 0.1 to 0.25. Poor: over 0.25.
Ways to improve your Core Web Vitals score:
- Optimize your images: Large images can slow down your page load time. Use image compression tools to reduce the size of your images without sacrificing quality.
- Minify your CSS and JavaScript: This can make your code smaller and faster to load.
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN can cache your static content on servers around the world, which can improve loading times for users in different locations.
- Avoid layout shifts: Use CSS techniques to prevent your page layout from shifting after it starts loading.
Some Helpful Tools
There are a number of tools available to help you measure your Core Web Vitals score including Google PageSpeed Insights and WebPageTest.
Improving these metrics can enhance the overall user experience, reduce bounce rates, and potentially lead to better search engine rankings. It's important for web developers and site owners to optimize their websites according to these Core Web Vitals to meet Google's performance standards and provide a seamless browsing experience for users.
