Understanding Google’s Core Web Vitals in Five Minutes

We know you’re busy, so we’re gonna break down this new Core Web Vitals thing you’ve been hearing about as quickly as we can. Then you can get back to your day (or, if you managed to save enough time, maybe you could even squeeze in a quick nap!)

CORE WEB VITALS BASICS

Starting in mid-June 2021, Google will roll out a change in the way it ranks sites in search results that includes a set of metrics called Core Web Vitals.

The idea is basically this: Google wants to reward websites that perform well and that customers enjoy browsing.

To do that, Google is grading sites on these new metrics and giving higher search rankings to websites with good scores. The metrics are all about 

  1. Loading (How fast does your website show up on someone’s screen?)
  2. Interactivity (How fast or easy is it to click around on your website?)
  3. Visual Stability (Do elements on your website jump around unexpectedly?)
Largest Contentful Paint
Also known as: LCP 

This metric measures loading performance. To provide a good experience, the main content on your page should load within 2.5 seconds.

First Input Delay
Also known as: FID 

This metric measures the time before interactivity is possible. To provide a good user experience, pages should have an FID of less than 100 milliseconds

Cumulative Layout Shift
Also known as: CLS

This metric measures visual stability, meaning visual elements on your page will stay in a consistent place while a user is interacting with the page. To provide a good user experience, your web pages should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1.

THE PROBLEM FOR SITE OWNERS

The problem with this algorithm shift is if your site doesn’t meet Google’s standards for page experience by optimizing your Core Web Vitals scores, you could lose traffic and even sales. That’s why you need to know what they are and make sure your website scores well. 

At the end of the day, Core Web Vitals means that the better your site experience is for users, the better you’ll rank on Google. This is a win/win situation for you and your customers, no doubt.

WANNA GO DEEPER INTO CORE WEB VITALS?

If you’re ready to learn more about Core Web Vitals, we’ve created free resources just for you! Go to the next level of Core Web Vitals understanding and readiness with our free diagnostic report, by downloading our white paper, or registering for our upcoming Magento (Adobe Commerce) webinar, all at ClassyLlama.com/CWV. 

(Psssst … everyone who attends the webinar will get a $10 gift card code to Starbucks in their inbox after the event, so come get that coffee!!)

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