SEO 101 – What are Google’s Core Web Vitals? And How do I Use Them to Improve My SEO?

In today’s fast-paced…I’m kidding! We aren’t starting another post talking about the fast-paced, ever-evolving, digital landscape! At some point we’ll get a thesaurus, and come up with better ways of talking about the changing business environment. However, we must begin somehow…thus: in these online times, website performance is more critical than ever. With potential customers demanding faster and more seamless experiences, the speed and stability of your website can make or break your online success. Recognizing this, Google introduced Core Web Vitals—three specific metrics designed to evaluate and enhance user experience on the web. These metrics have quickly become a cornerstone of search engine optimization (SEO), influencing how websites are ranked in search results.

Understanding and optimizing Core Web Vitals is no longer optional but essential for anyone serious about their website’s performance and search engine rankings. In this latest edition of SEO 101, we’ll explore what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter, and how you can master them to boost your website’s performance and SEO.

Editor’s Note: This post is part of our SEO 101 series. Click below for the previous entries:

• What is Schema Markup?
• Understanding XML Sitemaps and their Importance for SEO
• Understanding Robots.txt
• Understanding SSL
• Understanding Noindex Tags and Headers
• Understanding Canonical Tags: A Small Business Lifesaver
• The Magic of Anchor Text: Boosting your SEO One Link at a Time
• The Ultimate Guide to Image At Attributes and SEO
• Understanding Keyword Consistency for Fun and Profit
• Understanding Website Headers and Their Importance for SEO
• We have written an article about Hreflang
• What do Title Tags have to do with SEO
• What is a Meta Description
• What are Keywords

What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of three specific metrics that Google introduced to measure key aspects of a website’s user experience. These metrics focus on loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability, all of which are crucial for delivering a smooth and enjoyable browsing experience.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP measures how long it takes for the largest content element on a page to become visible within the viewport. This metric is critical because it represents the main content of the page, and a slow LCP can frustrate users, leading them to abandon the site.

First Input Delay (FID)

FID gauges the time from when a user first interacts with a page (e.g., clicking a link or button) to when the browser responds to that interaction. This metric is vital for interactivity, as a delayed response can make a site feel sluggish and unresponsive.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS measures the visual stability of a page by tracking how often elements move around unexpectedly during loading. A high CLS score indicates that users might accidentally click on something they didn’t intend to, leading to a poor user experience.

Google introduced these metrics as part of its broader goal to make the web faster and more user-friendly. By focusing on these areas, Google aims to encourage site owners to create better experiences for users, which in turn can improve a site’s search engine ranking.

The Three Core Metrics in Detail

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

What It Measures: LCP focuses on how quickly the main content of a page loads and becomes visible to the user. Typically, this is the largest image, video, or block of text within the viewport.

Impact on User Experience: A slow LCP can make a site feel sluggish, causing users to leave before they even see the content they were looking for. Studies show that users expect a page to load within two to three seconds, making LCP a critical factor in retaining visitors.

Best Practices to Improve LCP

• Optimize Images: Ensure that images are properly sized and compressed to reduce load times.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Distribute content closer to users to speed up loading times.
• Minimize JavaScript and CSS: Reduce the amount of JavaScript and CSS that needs to be loaded before the content is displayed.
• Preload Important Resources: Use rel=”preload” to load key resources faster.

First Input Delay (FID)

How It Affects Interactivity: FID measures the time it takes for the browser to respond to a user’s first interaction. A slow FID can lead to a frustrating experience, especially on mobile devices where users are often tapping and swiping rapidly.

Common Issues Affecting FID

• Heavy JavaScript Execution: If the browser is busy running JavaScript, it can delay its ability to respond to user interactions.
• Third-Party Scripts: External scripts from ads or social media widgets can increase FID.

Ways to Reduce FID

• Break Up Long Tasks: Split up heavy JavaScript tasks to allow the browser to respond to user input more quickly.
• Use Web Workers: Offload expensive tasks to background threads using web workers.
• Optimize JavaScript Execution: Minimize and defer non-essential JavaScript to improve FID.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Importance of Visual Stability: CLS measures how often elements on a page move unexpectedly. High CLS scores are often caused by images or ads loading asynchronously, pushing content around and creating a jarring experience for users.

Causes of Layout Shifts

• Images Without Dimensions: When images don’t have specified width and height attributes, they can cause layout shifts as they load.
• Dynamically Injected Content: Ads or widgets that load late can cause shifts in the content.
• Web Fonts: Custom fonts can cause text to reflow, leading to layout shifts.

Strategies to Minimize CLS

• Always Include Size Attributes for Images and Videos: This ensures that the browser knows how much space to allocate while the resource is loading.
• Avoid Inserting Content Above Existing Content: Unless the user interacts with the page, avoid inserting new content in a way that shifts other elements.
• Use CSS Transformations: To move elements around, use CSS transforms rather than modifying the layout directly.

Why Core Web Vitals Matter for SEO

Core Web Vitals have been fully integrated into Google’s ranking algorithm as part of the Page Experience update. This means that sites with better scores on these metrics are more likely to rank higher in search results, all else being equal.

Integration into Google’s Ranking Algorithm

Google has always prioritized user experience in its ranking criteria. With the introduction of Core Web Vitals, this focus has become even more pronounced. Sites that provide a fast, stable, and responsive experience are now rewarded with better rankings, while those that fail to meet these standards may see their positions slip.

Examples of SEO Impact

Several case studies have shown significant improvements in search rankings and traffic after optimizing Core Web Vitals. For example, an e-commerce site that improved its LCP from 4 seconds to under 2 seconds saw a 15% increase in organic traffic. Similarly, a news site that reduced its CLS by eliminating late-loading ads saw a substantial boost in user engagement and search visibility.

Long-Term Implications

Optimizing for Core Web Vitals is not just about short-term gains. As Google continues to refine its algorithms, user experience metrics like these will likely become even more important. By investing in these optimizations now, you’re setting your site up for sustained success in the future.

Practical Tips for Optimizing Core Web Vitals

Tools for Measuring Core Web Vitals

There are several tools available to help you measure and analyze your site’s Core Web Vitals:

• Google Lighthouse: Provides detailed insights into performance, accessibility, and SEO, including Core Web Vitals.
• PageSpeed Insights: Offers a simple way to check how your site performs on both mobile and desktop devices.
• Web Vitals Chrome Extension: Allows you to monitor Core Web Vitals directly in your browser.

Actionable Steps for Improvement

• Improve LCP by Optimizing Images and Reducing Load Times: Compress images, use modern formats like WebP, and defer offscreen images.
• Reduce FID by Minimizing JavaScript Execution: Lazy load non-critical resources and defer parsing of JavaScript.
• Lower CLS by Ensuring Visual Stability: Specify dimensions for all media and avoid inserting content above existing elements.

Importance of Regular Monitoring and Updates

Core Web Vitals are dynamic metrics that can change as your site evolves. Regular monitoring is essential to ensure that your site continues to perform well over time. Set up automated reports and alerts to keep track of your site’s performance and address any issues as they arise.

Conclusion

In summary, Google’s Core Web Vitals are essential metrics for anyone looking to improve their website’s performance and SEO. By focusing on LCP, FID, and CLS, you can enhance your site’s user experience, boost its search rankings, and drive more organic traffic. The long-term benefits of optimizing Core Web Vitals are clear: better performance, happier users, and stronger SEO.

Don’t wait to start optimizing your Core Web Vitals. Use the tools and tips provided in this guide to begin improving your site’s performance today.

How do I act on this?

We’d love to hear about your experiences with Core Web Vitals! Have you seen improvements in your site’s performance or SEO after optimizing these metrics? Share your stories in the comments below or ask any questions you have about the process.

Additionally, if you’re ready to start optimizing but aren’t sure where to begin, contact us at support@strottner.com and audit your site on our Homepage for a complete Core Web Vitals review. You can always request a free website audit today, performed by our team, to get started!