Google Core Web Vitals: what are they and what do they mean for your website?

If you’ve ever managed a website, you’ll know that Google set the tone and manage the bar. So, when they announce updates to their algorithm or ranking metrics, we all ask “how high do you want us to jump?” That’s just the way it is. 

Back in 2021, they rolled out one of their largest and most user-experienced focused updates ever – Core Web Vitals – which changed the game for us all. 

Prior to this, Google would show users high-quality content that matched their search, focusing on mobile friendliness, browsing safety and some basic experience metrics. Core Web Vitals is the next level of these ranking factors, further favouring sites that follow best practices.

Where previously, relevant and high-quality content resulted in strong organic rankings, now user interaction and behaviour with the site is equally valuable. 

As part of the Core Web Vitals update, Google outlined three elements it’ll use to assess a website’s user experience score. Let’s dig into what they are… 

Loading, Largest Content Paint, or LCP

This is all about the average time it takes to load the main content – media and text format – on your webpage. And when we say load, we’re not just talking about the page load speed, we’re talking about the time for the content to appear. So, if for example you’ve got ad pop-ups all over your site, that might be an issue. 

The LCP score is awarded at an individual page level, and Google has set the bar at 2.5 seconds. Any longer than that for the main content to become visible, and they give that page a low LCP score. Which is bad news.

To add another level of complexity to the mix, what’s considered the “main” content on the page can also differ. For a product page, this may be the product image, whereas for a content piece, it could be the H1 headline. The idea here is to create the best possible user experience.

And what does that mean for you? Well, imagine a user coming to your page. Ask yourself what’s the main and most important thing they’ll want to see – and make sure that’s the first thing they do see. 

Interactivity, First Input Delay, or FID

FID is another time-oriented metric that measures the time between a user first inputting an action or command on the page, and that action happening. This could include clicking a button, pressing some keys or typing. Google state that the desired score here is fewer than 100 milliseconds, and anything over 300 milliseconds will have a negative impact on the SEO performance. So it needs to be speedy!

When working to reduce your FID, look at the impact of any third-party code on your website. If you’re running A/B testing on a webpage, beware as this can increase your FID score. Consider using compressed CSS files where possible, breaking long JavaScript tasks into smaller ones and implementing lazy load on content that wouldn’t be deemed as the “main” content. These are all relatively simple to implement tactics that can positively impact your FID scores. 

Also, think about what third-party cookies and tracking tags you need across your site – these can all negatively impact loading speeds. The more code and tracks you have, the longer pages will take to download and trigger on a user’s device. 

Visual Stability, Cumulative Layout Shift, or CLS

We’ve all been there… you click to open a web page, some content loads, then a second later more content loads and the first batch of content you saw moves and jolts around the page. This is caused by poor visual stability on the page. It’s frustrating and can lead to users clicking on something by mistake – typically an ad – or having to scroll up and down a page, chasing content around the screen. Not ideal.

Again, like the other metrics, the bar for this one has been set pretty high. Google will determine a page to have good stability, therefore favour it in SEO rankings, if there are no shifts. So it’s vital to ensure your content loads quickly, and stays put on the screen!

So that’s a little bit about Core Web Vitals. It’s another example of how Google like to keep web and content owners on their toes. But luckily, we love a challenge. 

Change, progression and improvements are to be embraced, and as we move towards an ever more user-centric focused web space, it’s good for brands to be reminded of what’s of value to their customers and readers. You may think it’s important for visitors to be able to subscribe to your newsletter, receive that 10% off their first order code, or download your latest whitepaper, but is that really why they’re visiting your web page in the first place?

If you were a consumer and you wanted to read that article about the benefits of a product, but were interrupted by slow loading content, pop-ups, or content moving around the page, would you stick around? Or would you swipe over to the next tab and browse elsewhere?

That’s the big question to ask yourself.

If you want to understand the impact that Core Web Vitals might be having on your website, get in touch. We’d be happy to discuss how we can help with advice or a performance audit. As a new breed of SEO marketing agency, we’re here to help you disrupt your sector and accelerate your growth.