Google Core Web Vitals: How They Affect SEO

Google has always been focused on delivering the best possible user experience. This is why they have introduced a number of features over the years that are designed to improve the quality of search results. One of these features is Google Core Web Vitals. In this article, we will discuss what Google Core Web Vitals are and how they affect SEO.

What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the quality of user experience on a website. Google has said that these metrics are important for delivering a good user experience and they will be used as ranking factors in their search algorithm.

The three Core Web Vitals are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). LCP measures how long it takes for the largest element on a page to load. FID measures how long it takes for a user to be able to interact with a page. CLS measures how much the layout of a page shifts while it's loading.

To deliver a good user experience, all three of these metrics should be low. A low LCP means that the largest element on the page loads quickly. A low FID means that users can interact with the page quickly. A low CLS means that the layout of the page doesn't shift while it's loading. You can improve your Core Web Vitals by optimizing your images, using lazy-loading, and reducing JavaScript code.

Here is an in-depth look at the three Core Web Vitals:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP, is a metric used to measure the time it takes for the largest element on a page to load. This could be an image, a video, or text. In order to provide a good user experience, Google has said that pages should aim for an LCP of less than two seconds.

There are several factors that can affect LCP, such as server response time and network latency. However, one of the most important things you can do to reduce LCP is to optimize your images. Large images can take a long time to load, so make sure they are compressed and scaled appropriately.

First Input Delay (FID)
You've just clicked on a link to your favorite website, but instead of loading immediately, the page sits there... and sits there. After a few seconds of waiting, you start to get impatient and wonder if you've made a mistake. Finally, the page starts to load, but by then it's too late - you've already lost interest and moved on.

The Bottom Line
Google Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the quality of user experience on a website. They include things like loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Google has said that these metrics are important for delivering a good user experience and they will be used as ranking factors in their search algorithm.

So if you want your website to rank higher in Google search results, you need to make sure that your website has good page performance. You can do this by improving your LCP, FID, and CLS scores. You can also use the new Page Experience report in Google Search Console to see how your website is performing on these metrics.

Google is making a clear push for better user experience on the web, and as such, site owners should take note and make sure their websites are up to par. By paying attention to Core Web Vitals and other user experience signals, you can ensure that your website is providing the best possible experience for visitors – and that Google will reward you with higher rankings in search results.