April 20, 2023

7 minute read

Optimizing Your Website for Core Web Vitals

The Key to Improving User Experience and SEO.

7 minute read

Milene Vicente

Google has set a new standard for website performance, with the introduction of Core Web Vitals.

In recent years, Google has been putting more emphasis on website user experience, and as a part of that effort, they introduced Core Web Vitals. Core Web Vitals are a set of performance metrics that Google uses to evaluate the user experience of websites. In this article, we’ll explore Core Web Vitals, its importance for a website, how to optimize it, and its significance for SEO. Also, we’ve added a bonus section, in which you can find a link to our free SEO tool.

What are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of user-centered metrics introduced by Google that measures a website’s loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These metrics are based on actual user experience and are designed to help website owners improve their website’s overall user experience.

Three main metrics are considered Core Web Vitals:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This metric measures how long it takes for the largest content element on the page to load. LCP can be an image, video, or block of text.
First Input Delay (FID): This metric measures the time it takes for a user to interact with the page, such as by clicking on a button or a link.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This metric measures the visual stability of the page by tracking how much the content shifts around as it loads. A high CLS score means the page layout is unstable and may cause frustration for the user.

Why are Core Web Vitals crucial for a website?

Core Web Vitals are essential for website owners because they directly impact the user experience. A website that performs poorly in terms of loading speed, interactivity, or visual stability may encourage users to leave the site, leading to a higher bounce rate, lower engagement, and, ultimately, a negative impact on conversions and revenue.

In May 2021, Google announced that Core Web Vitals would become a ranking factor for mobile search results. This addition to the ranking factors means that websites that perform well on Core Web Vitals will boost search engine rankings, while websites that perform poorly may be penalized. In addition to improving the user experience, optimizing for Core Web Vitals can also enhance a website’s SEO performance.

How to optimize for Core Web Vitals?

To optimize for Core Web Vitals, website owners must improve loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Optimize images and videos: Large media files can slow down a website’s loading speed, so it’s important to compress images and videos to reduce their file size.
Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN can help improve loading speed by serving content from a geographically closer server to the user.
Minimize JavaScript: Excessive JavaScript can cause a delay in interactivity, so it’s essential to minimize its use as much as possible.
Avoid large layout shifts: To prevent layout shifts, ensure all content has a fixed size and avoid adding new content above the fold.
Use lazy loading: Lazy loading can help improve loading speed by only loading images and videos as the user scrolls down the page.

The importance of Core Web Vitals for SEO.

As mentioned earlier, Core Web Vitals are becoming a ranking factor for mobile search results. It means that website owners who optimize for Core Web Vitals will have a better chance to rank high in search engine results pages (SERP).

In addition to improving rankings, optimizing for Core Web Vitals can also lead to increased user engagement and higher conversion rates. By providing a better user experience, website owners can encourage users to stay on the site longer, engage with the content, and convert into paying customers.

Conclusion

Core Web Vitals is an essential set of performance metrics that website owners need to pay attention to. These metrics are one of the keys to a successful website since they directly impact user engagement, conversion rates, and, ultimately, a website’s revenue. In addition, Google has confirmed that page experience signals, including Core Web Vitals, are a ranking factor for mobile search results.

In today’s digital world, a website’s success depends on its ability to provide a seamless and enjoyable user experience. Core Web Vitals are essential to achieving that goal, and website owners who prioritize them will reap the benefits of increased engagement, conversions, and search engine rankings.

Would you like to check your website’s performance? Run a test with our free SEO tool, in which you can check many metrics, including Core Web Vitals.

Credits

Images via Web.Dev and WordStream