What are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the loading performance and user experience of a web page. These metrics include things like load time, speed, and responsiveness, and are designed to help developers optimize the performance of their websites. The Core Web Vitals are considered important signals of a good user experience and are used by Google to rank websites in search results.

What are the three main parts?

The Core Web Vitals are divided into three main categories: Speed, Interactivity, and Visual Stability.

Speed metrics are:

  1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): measures loading performance.
  2. First Input Delay (FID): measures interactivity.

Interactivity metrics are:

  1. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures visual stability.

How can I optimize my Core Web Vitals?

There are several ways to improve your Core Web Vitals and ensure a good user experience for your website’s visitors. Here are a few general tips:

Optimize images and other media files: Large, unoptimized images can slow down a page’s load time. Compress and resize images and other media files to reduce their file sizes.

Minimize the use of third-party scripts: Third-party scripts, such as ads or analytics tools, can slow down a page’s load time. Minimize the use of these scripts, or consider using alternatives that are less resource-intensive.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): A CDN can help distribute the load of a website across multiple servers, reducing the time it takes for pages to load.

Minimize the use of heavy libraries: Avoid using unnecessary heavy libraries, frameworks and custom codes.

Use browser caching: Browser caching allows a browser to store a copy of a page’s resources on the user’s device, reducing the time it takes for the page to load on subsequent visits.

Use preloading and prerendering for key pages: Preloading and prerendering can help improve the loading performance of key pages on your website.

Monitor your Core Web Vitals regularly: Use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and Search Console to monitor your Core Web Vitals and identify areas for improvement.