As a web design company, we know SEO! We want to demystify the SEO process, and maybe even give ideas for business owners to be able to improve their own search results. It’s all about getting that phone to ring and getting new clients. Small business owners know that their website is most often the first, and sometimes only, interface with their company a prospective client may have. Therefore, each companies website must offer an exceptional user experience to attract and retain customers. One key factor in achieving this is Core Web Vitals, a set of performance metrics introduced by Google to measure a website’s speed, responsiveness, and visual stability. These metrics play a critical role in SEO rankings and overall user satisfaction.
If you haven’t heard the term Core Web Vitals before, no worries. In this guide, we’ll break down what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter, and practical steps you can take to improve your scores and enhance your website’s performance.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals consist of three key performance metrics that assess the user experience of a webpage:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures loading performance. It calculates the time taken for the largest visible content element (such as an image or text block) to load. A good LCP score is under 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID) – Measures interactivity. It tracks the time between a user’s first interaction (like clicking a button) and the browser’s response. A good FID score is less than 100 milliseconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Measures visual stability. It evaluates how much the content moves unexpectedly as the page loads. A good CLS score is below 0.1.
Google considers these metrics when ranking websites, making them essential for SEO success.
Why Do Core Web Vitals Matter?
1. Improved User Experience
Every good web design company knows that a fast and responsive website leads to higher engagement, longer time on site, and better conversion rates. Visitors are more likely to stay on a site that loads quickly and behaves predictably. The opposite is also true. If the website loads slowly, visitors are much more likely to leave the website before it even loads completely.
2. Higher Search Rankings
Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. Websites that perform well on these metrics are more likely to rank higher in search engine results, driving more organic traffic.
3. Better Mobile Performance
With mobile-first indexing, Google prioritizes mobile performance. Since mobile users often experience slower load times, optimizing Core Web Vitals ensures your site is accessible to a wider audience.
4. Lower Bounce Rates
A slow website frustrates users, leading them to leave before engaging with your content. Optimizing Core Web Vitals reduces bounce rates and keeps visitors engaged.
How to Improve Core Web Vitals
Optimizing Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Now that is a phrase you may have never heard before: Largest Contentful Paint. No big deal, as a web design company, we deal with that every day. It just means that the LCP measures how quickly the largest element loads, optimizing it involves reducing loading times. Here 7 ways it does that:
1. Optimize Images
- Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh.
- Use modern image formats like WebP for better compression and faster loading.
- Implement lazy loading to delay loading offscreen images until they’re needed.
2. Improve Server Response Times
- Use a fast and reliable hosting provider.
- Enable caching to serve static content more quickly.
- Minimize server requests by reducing unnecessary plugins and scripts.
3. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A CDN caches your website across multiple global servers, reducing the time it takes to load content for users in different locations.
4. Improving First Input Delay (FID)
FID measures interactivity, so reducing input delay involves optimizing how quickly the browser processes user interactions.
5. Minimize JavaScript Execution
- Remove unused JavaScript to reduce execution time.
- Use asynchronous loading (async and defer attributes) to prevent JavaScript from blocking rendering.
6. Reduce Third-Party Scripts
Scripts from external sources (such as ad networks, social media widgets, and analytics) can slow down interactivity. Remove or delay unnecessary third-party scripts.
7. Optimize Web Fonts
Loading large font files can slow interactivity. Use font-display: swap to ensure text appears while fonts load in the background.
Reducing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Here’s another term that may be new to you: Cumultative Layout Shifts. CLS measures unexpected layout shifts that disrupt the user experience. Reducing CLS ensures a visually stable page. That might look like popup ads in strange places, video or photos that don’t line up with the text or margins, stuff like that.
Define Image and Video Dimensions
- Always set width and height attributes for images and videos to prevent layout shifts.
- Use CSS aspect ratio boxes to maintain space for media files before they load.
Avoid Flashy Ads and Popups
Not that Ads and popups are bad. Indeed, when used properly they can be a great tool. Just be careful that they don’t disrupt the flow of content, specifically:
- Avoid inserting dynamic content (like ads or banners) that pushes existing content down.
- Use reserved spaces for ads to prevent unexpected shifts.
Use Font Loading Strategies
- Some fonts cause layout shifts when they load late. Use font-display: swap to show fallback fonts immediately while the preferred font loads.
Tools to Measure and Improve Core Web Vitals
To analyze and improve your Core Web Vitals on your own website, try using these tools:
- Google PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) – Provides performance reports and improvement suggestions.
- Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools) – Offers detailed audits on speed, accessibility, and SEO.
- Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console) – Tracks Core Web Vitals for your website over time.
- WebPageTest (webpagetest.org) – Analyzes real-world load times and performance issues.
Optimizing Core Web Vitals is essential for providing a better user experience, improving search rankings, and boosting conversions. Small business owners should prioritize speed, interactivity, and visual stability to ensure their websites are engaging and accessible.
By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to achieving a high Core Web Vitals score, keeping your customers happy, and gaining a competitive edge in search rankings. If this all seems a bit technical, don’t worry, as a web design company, we deal with this stuff every day! We can help. Give us a call at (5860 210-5125 or check out our website at 212creative.com. We are SEO experts, and we can take care of all of this, and so much more. Let us take care of your website, so you can take care of your business!
Start optimizing today, and watch your website’s performance and user engagement soar!
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