What They Are and Why They Affect Search Rankings
Google increasingly emphasizes user experience and website loading speed. That’s why Core Web Vitals were introduced – a set of three key metrics that evaluate website performance from a user’s perspective. If you want your site to rank high in search results, you need to understand and optimize these metrics.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
These are metrics that measure essential aspects of website performance:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Measures how long it takes for the main content of a page to load. Goal: under 2.5 seconds.
- FID (First Input Delay): Measures the site’s response time to the first user interaction. Goal: under 100 ms.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Measures the visual stability of a page (e.g., layout shifts). Goal: under 0.1.
Why Are They Important for SEO?
Since May 2021, Core Web Vitals have been an official Google ranking factor. This means that websites with better user experience have a higher chance of achieving better search positions.
In addition, optimizing these metrics brings further benefits: faster load times, lower bounce rates, and higher conversion rates.
How to Check Core Web Vitals?
Several tools show how your website performs:
How to Improve Your Website’s Metrics?
Optimization may vary depending on the site, but generally:
- Speed up loading: Use lazy-loading, optimize images, minimize CSS/JS, and enable caching.
- Increase interactivity: Reduce JavaScript and improve click response times.
- Ensure stable layout: Define image sizes in advance to prevent layout shifts and use modern formats like WebP or AVIF.
Conclusion
Core Web Vitals are not just a technical term – they are concrete signals that determine whether your website ranks above the competition. Monitor them, test regularly, and optimize continuously. Ultimately, you’ll not only improve search rankings but also enhance user satisfaction.
