What are Google’s Core Web Vitals and are they important for my website? How does it relate to SEO? We’ll be answering these questions and more. We all know a fast and user-friendly website is crucial for attracting and retaining customers. But how do you know if your website is truly delivering a great experience and will rank higher in search results? That’s where Core Web Vitals come in.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers essential for a great user experience. They measure how quickly your website loads, how stable it is, and how quickly it responds to user interactions. Essentially, they help Google understand how your website performs from a user’s perspective.
The Three Core Web Vitals Metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures how long it takes for the largest visible element on your page to load. Ideally, you want your LCP to be within 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures how long it takes for your website to respond to a user’s first interaction (e.g., clicking a button, tapping a link). Aim for an FID of 100 milliseconds or less.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures how much your website’s layout shifts unexpectedly while loading. Keep your CLS score below 0.1.
What Are the Recommended Thresholds for Core Web Vitals Metrics?
- LCP: 2.5 seconds or less (Good), 2.5–4 seconds (Needs Improvement), Over 4 seconds (Poor)
- FID: 100 milliseconds or less (Good), 100–300 milliseconds (Needs Improvement), Over 300 milliseconds (Poor)
- CLS: 0.1 or less (Good), 0.1–0.25 (Needs Improvement), Over 0.25 (Poor)
Why Are Core Web Vitals Important?
- Improved User Experience: A fast and stable website leads to happier visitors, increased engagement, and higher conversion rates.
- Better Search Engine Rankings: Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor, meaning that websites with better scores are more likely to rank higher in search results.
- Increased Mobile Friendliness: Core Web Vitals are particularly important for mobile users, who often have slower internet connections and smaller screens.
How to Improve Your Core Web Vitals Performance:
- Optimize Images: Compress and resize images to reduce file sizes and improve loading speed.
- Minimize JavaScript and CSS: Remove unnecessary code and optimize existing code to reduce loading times.
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN stores your website’s content on servers around the world, reducing loading times for users in different locations.
- Improve Server Response Time: Choose a reliable web hosting provider and optimize your server configuration.
- Reduce Layout Shifts: Avoid inserting dynamic content above existing content and use reserved space for ads and embedded content.
- Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and responsive.
How Core Web Vitals Affect Your Business–Real-World Example
Imagine you own an e-commerce store. If your website takes too long to load, potential customers are likely to abandon their shopping carts and go to a competitor. By improving your Core Web Vitals, you can create a seamless shopping experience and increase your sales.
How D. Foster Marketing Can Help
Improving Core Web Vitals can be technically challenging. That’s where D. Foster Marketing comes in. Our team of SEO experts can help you:
- Analyze your website’s Core Web Vitals performance.
- Identify areas for improvement.
- Implement optimization strategies to boost your scores.
- Improve your website’s overall SEO performance.
We understand that you are running a business, and might not have the time or technical expertise to handle all of this. That is why we are here.
Don't Let Poor Website Performance Hold You Back
A website with excellent Core Web Vitals is an investment in your business’s success. By prioritizing user experience, you can attract more customers, improve your search engine rankings, and achieve your business goals.
Ready to take your company’s website to the next level? Contact D. Foster Marketing today for a free consultation and learn how we can help you improve your Core Web Vitals and boost your online presence.
Dawn Foster is an unapologetic branding and marketing nerd who is passionate about research, analytics, and great storytelling through words and images. She is focused on helping business owners build and evolve their businesses with the right branding and marketing strategies and tactics. She has helped transform business owners into powerhouses through research, strategic planning, content development, education, and empowerment so that they can achieve success and reach their goals. As a business owner, her goal is to see others win, support her community, and do what she loves.
*Forbes Advisor. June 2024. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/website-statistics/
