How to Improve Core Web Vitals for Better Google Rankings

In recent years, Google has made one thing clear: user experience matters. That’s where Core Web Vitals come in. They’re a set of specific performance metrics that Google uses to evaluate how users experience your website—and yes, they directly impact your SEO rankings.

In this article, we’ll break down what Core Web Vitals are, why they’re important, and how you can improve them using free tools and simple strategies.

⚡ What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are three specific metrics Google uses to measure page experience:

1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
   Measures how quickly the main content loads. Target: under 2.5 seconds

2. First Input Delay (FID) (Replaced by INP in 2024)
   Measures how quickly the site responds to user interaction.
   Target: under 200 milliseconds

3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
   Measures how much the layout shifts unexpectedly. Target: below 0.1

As of 2024, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is replacing FID as a more accurate responsiveness metric.

🛠 Why Core Web Vitals Matter for SEO

• 🧠 They are confirmed ranking signals used by Google

• 📱 They affect bounce rate, especially on mobile

• 🚀 Fast and stable pages lead to higher engagement & conversion

• 📉 Poor Core Web Vitals can hurt even well-optimized content

Improving them boosts not only your SEO but also your overall user experience.

✅ How to Check Your Core Web Vitals

You can check your site’s Core Web Vitals for free using tools like:

• PageSpeed Insights (from Google)

• Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools)

• Web Vitals Extension (Chrome plugin)

• Search Console > Page Experience Report

Or, for a quick overview, use a Page Speed Checker on your favorite SEO tool site.

🔧 How to Improve Each Core Web Vital

1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Loading

Goal: Under 2.5 seconds

Improve by:

• Using a fast, reliable hosting provider

• Compressing and lazy-loading large images

• Minimizing render-blocking CSS & JS

• Preloading key resources (fonts, hero images)

2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – Responsiveness

Goal: Under 200 ms (ideal)

Improve by:

• Reducing JavaScript execution time

• Avoiding unnecessary third-party scripts

• Breaking up long tasks using requestIdleCallback()

• Using minimal, optimized JavaScript frameworks

3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Visual Stability

Goal: Less than 0.1 shift

Improve by:

• Always setting width and height for images & videos

• Avoiding dynamic content that pushes elements

• Reserving space for ads and embeds

• Using font-display: swap for custom fonts

🧠 Bonus Tips for Better Page Experience

• Implement lazy loading for images and iframes

• Use a CDN (Content Delivery Network) for faster global loading

• Enable browser caching and GZIP compression

• Reduce redirect chains and minimize DOM size

• Use clean, semantic HTML for faster parsing

❓ FAQ – Core Web Vitals

Q: Will Core Web Vitals affect my rankings directly?
Yes. Google uses them as part of its Page Experience ranking signal.

Q: Are desktop and mobile scores different?
Absolutely. Many sites pass on desktop but fail on mobile due to slower networks and rendering.

Q: What tools can I use for ongoing monitoring?
Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and Lighthouse are all free and reliable.

✅ Conclusion

Core Web Vitals are no longer optional—they’re essential. If your website loads slowly, shifts unexpectedly, or responds poorly, users leave, and Google notices.

By taking time to optimize your LCP, INP, and CLS, you’ll not only improve your SEO performance but also provide a smoother, faster experience for every visitor.

James Smith

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.