What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals is a set of three key performance metrics for web pages that Google considers particularly important for users. Introduced in May 2021, Core Web Vitals comprise three performance measures: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a measure of the time it takes for the largest visual element on a page, such as an image or video, to be rendered on the user’s screen. According to Google standards, the optimal LCP time is 2.5 seconds or less.
The Core Web Vitals are three metrics that Google considers crucial for web pages: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). LCP focuses on measuring the time it takes for the largest visual element to be rendered on the user’s screen.
The largest visual element can be various elements, such as images, videos, or blocks of text, that attract users’ attention. LCP is a measure of the loading time of these elements, which are crucial for the user’s visual experience.
Why is LCP important? A longer loading time of page elements leads to lower user satisfaction and increased risk of users leaving the page. Therefore, Google considers an optimal LCP time of 2.5 seconds or less.
How to measure LCP? You can do this using performance measurement tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or Chrome User Experience Report. These tools analyze loading times for page elements to provide information on LCP and other performance metrics.
**How to improve LCP? Here are some tips:**
• Optimize image and multimedia file sizes.
• Use appropriate image file formats, such as JPEG or WebP.
• Avoid blocking page rendering, which leads to delays in loading page elements.
• Use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to quickly deliver content to users from different parts of the world.
• Choose a suitable hosting service for your site that ensures fast loading.
• LCP optimization is key to improving website performance and user experience, affecting organic search engine results.
2. First Input Delay (FID) measures the interactivity of a web page and determines how quickly it responds to the first click or mouse movement by the user. The FID time should be less than 100 milliseconds for users to interact with the site smoothly.
First Input Delay (FID) is one of the three metrics that make up Core Web Vitals, a set of performance metrics for web pages considered crucial by Google for users. FID measures interactivity and determines how quickly the page responds to the first click or mouse movement by the user.
It’s essential for websites to be interactive and respond immediately to user actions because the time it takes for the site to react can affect user experience and their likelihood of interacting with your website. The FID time should be less than 100 milliseconds for users to interact with the site smoothly.
How to measure FID? You can measure FID using performance measurement tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or Chrome User Experience Report, which analyze the time from when a user performs the first interaction on the page until the page responds to that interaction.
**How to improve FID? Here are some tips:**
• Minimize the use of JavaScript libraries that block browser threads.
• Reduce the number and complexity of scripts on your website.
• Use asynchronous loading for scripts, which allows multiple elements on a webpage to load simultaneously.
• Avoid using heavy libraries or plugins that can slow down page response times.
• Optimize element loading times and use caching.
• FID optimization is key to improving user interactivity and experience. Websites with fast FID are more user-friendly and attract users’ attention better, which can help improve organic search engine results.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures visual stability on a web page and determines whether elements shift, change position or size during page loading. The goal is to minimize these changes so that users don’t lose interest in the website or make accidental clicks. According to Google, CLS should not exceed 0.1.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is one of the three metrics that make up Core Web Vitals, a set of performance metrics for web pages considered crucial by Google for users. CLS measures visual stability and determines whether elements shift, change position or size during page loading.
The goal of CLS is to minimize these changes so that users don’t lose interest in the website or make accidental clicks because changes in layout can affect user choice, purchase, or action on your site. Changes like this can be very frustrating for users, especially if not initiated by them themselves.
CLS is measured using performance measurement tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or Chrome User Experience Report, which reflect the total number of unstable visual changes that occur during page loading.
According to Google, CLS should not exceed 0.1, meaning layout changes should not exceed 10% of an element’s height or width.
**How to improve CLS? Here are some tips:**
• Use fixed dimensions for elements on your website to prevent layout changes.
• Use empty spaces or placeholders for elements without their final size or position.
• Request advertisers to provide ads with fixed dimensions.
• Avoid adding elements to the page after it has loaded. Optimizing CLS is key to ensuring visual stability and improving user experience. Websites with low CLS are more user-friendly and attract users’ attention better, which can help improve organic search engine results.
Core Web Vitals are crucial for improving user experience and affecting organic search engine results in Google. Therefore, webmasters and website owners should focus on optimizing these three performance metrics to improve the quality of their websites and increase visibility in search engine results.
