- January 23, 2023
- by Ahmad
- SEO Articles
- 0 Comments
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the user experience of a website, including speed, responsiveness, and visual stability. They were introduced by Google as a way to measure the quality of user experience on a website and are considered important ranking signals for search engines.
Google has stated that the Core Web Vitals will be used as a ranking signal for search engines. Websites that score well on Core Web Vitals will be rewarded with higher rankings in search results. Websites that score poorly on Core Web Vitals will likely see their search rankings decrease.
The Core Web Vitals are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP):
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a performance metric that measures the loading speed of a web page by determining the time it takes for the largest element visible on the screen to load. The element can be an image, text block, or other type of visual element. LCP is an important metric because it helps to determine how quickly a user can start interacting with a web page. Slow LCP can be caused by a number of issues such as large images, slow server response time, or a large number of requests being made.
Google recommends that LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading. Google also introduced LCP as a part of their Web Vitals, which are a set of metrics that measure the speed and user experience of web pages. Improving LCP can help to improve user experience, reduce bounce rates, and increase conversion rates. To improve LCP, developers can reduce the size of images, improve the server response time, and reduce the number of requests made by the page.
It’s worth noting that LCP is not the only metric to measure the performance of a website, there are other metrics like Time to First Byte (TTFB), First Input Delay (FID), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) etc. which are also important to consider for a better understanding of the website’s performance.
- First Input Delay (FID):
First Input Delay (FID) is a performance metric that measures the time it takes for a web page to respond to a user’s first interaction with the page. This interaction can be a click, a tap, or a key press. FID is an important metric because it helps to determine how quickly a user can start interacting with a web page. Long FID can be caused by a number of issues such as heavy JavaScript execution, long tasks, or long server response time.
Google recommends that FID should be less than 100 milliseconds, which is the threshold to provide a good user experience. Like LCP, FID is also a part of the Web Vitals set of metrics provided by Google. To improve FID, developers can reduce the amount of JavaScript that is executed on page load, break up long tasks into smaller chunks, and improve server response time.
It’s worth noting that FID is a metric that measures the time from the user’s first interaction with the page and the time when the browser can respond to the interaction, this means that it depends on the user’s device, network and the amount of work that the browser needs to do. So, it can be a good idea to measure and analyze it in combination with other metrics like LCP, TTFB, and CLS, to have a better understanding of the website’s performance and user experience.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a performance metric that measures the visual stability of a web page. It measures the unexpected layout shifts that occur while a page is loading and tries to quantify the amount of “movement” that users experience. This can be caused by images, ads, or other elements loading in late and pushing content around, or by dynamic updates to the DOM.
A layout shift happens when a visible element changes its position from one rendered frame to the next. A high CLS score means that the users might be experiencing unexpected layout changes while interacting with the page, which can cause confusion and frustration. Google recommends that a CLS score should be less than 0.1.
CLS is another metric that is part of the Web Vitals set of metrics provided by Google. To improve CLS, developers can use techniques like reserving space for images, using font-display property, and avoiding dynamic updates to the DOM that can cause layout shifts.
It’s worth noting that like other metrics, CLS is not the only metric that measures the user experience and website performance, it should be used in combination with other metrics like LCP, FID and TTFB to have a better understanding of the website’s performance and user experience.
Improving the scores of these metrics can lead to better user experience and ultimately better search ranking, as they are closely tied to how users interact with the site, and how well the site can provide a good user experience.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that Core Web Vitals are just one of many factors that search engines use to rank websites, and a high score on Core Web Vitals does not guarantee a high search ranking. Other important ranking factors include relevance, authority, and quality of content.
Core Web Vitals as a Ranking Factor
Google has publicly announced that Core Web Vitals will be used as a ranking factor for search engines. This means that websites that score well on Core Web Vitals will be rewarded with higher rankings in search results, while websites that score poorly will likely see their search rankings decrease. Google has also provided tools like the Chrome User Experience report and the Search Console to help website owners track and improve their Core Web Vitals scores. In addition, Google has announced that it will be sending notifications to website owners through the Search Console if their website has poor Core Web Vitals scores.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that Core Web Vitals are just one of many factors that search engines use to rank websites, and a high score on Core Web Vitals does not guarantee a high search ranking. Other important ranking factors include relevance, authority, and quality of content. It is also important to consider that the Core Web Vitals are not the only factor that impact user experience, and other factors such as design, content, and functionality also play a role in providing a good user experience.
