Just as soon as you get a handle on Google, they switch things up. I have been advising my clients that Googleโs Core Web Vitals is a concept you need to understand if you are concerned about your page ranking. If you donโt speak geek, let me translate.ย
Every so often–at least a few times a year–Google introduces big new changes to their algorithm. Sometimes they announce them, and sometimes they donโt.ย
Core Web Vitals is Googleโs new metric which takes user experience into account to rank pages. These signals relate to the responsiveness, visual stability, and page loading speed, which is to say, how long it takes for your page to display the first elements that are important to the user.ย
If the word โvitalsโ struck a chord, itโs pretty literal, because it wonโt be long before Google starts rewarding your competitorsโ sites that score higher on this critical test. You might have something to say about this, but Google doesnโt really care. They are shaping the Web and they are encouraging (/forcing) website owners to follow the โbestโ practices.
If youโre freaking out, itโs not time to do that (yet)! This time, fortunately, Google has decided to give us all a headโs up, so your traffic hasnโt gone down (or up) because the Page Experience algorithm update hasnโt rolled out yet. But it will in May 2021, and that gives you enough time to get ahead of the changes by making sure youโre not the next site to be booted to pages 2 and beyond of the search results.
Go Mobile or Go Home
Most searches are now done on mobile, and this is only going to increase in the coming years. Google is โmobile firstโ โ meaning, itโs making its decisions for ranking you based on your mobile site rather than the desktop site (in most cases). Youโre expected to be mobile-friendly and streaming fast for mobile users, so make sure your site is mobile optimized.
This data is pulled from Googleโs blog (yes, the horseโs mouth) and it shows some pretty compelling stats about the crucial need for mobile speed:
Itโs clear to see that no matter what, faster is better and less is more.ย
Slow load times, whether on mobile or desktop, affect both your conversion rate and your Google rankings. Page speed is one of the signals that Google looks at when determining which pages rank for a given term, especially for mobile.
So what ARE the Core Web Vitals metrics, anyway?
Specifically, Core Web Vitals is a set of 3 key metrics related to page load performance:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): A measure of the pageโs loading performance in seconds (lower is better).ย ย
In other words: How long does it take for a user to start seeing what looks like a fully loaded page?ย
Google wants to see LCP below 4sec and prefers LCP below 2.5sec.
First Input Delay (FID): A measure of the pageโs interactivity in milliseconds (lower is better).ย ย
In other words: How much time passes before a user can actually interact with a page (such as button clicks and scrolling)?
Google wants to see FID below 300ms and prefers FID below 100ms.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): A measure of the pageโs visual stability on a scale of 0 to 1 (lower is better).ย
In other words: Do elements of the page move (or shift) as a user traverses through the page?ย Iโm sure weโve all been on web pages where content is abruptly pushed out of view when reading or where a button youโre trying to click moves just before you actually make the click.
Google wants to see CSL scores below 0.25 and prefers CLS scores below 0.1.
How can you take your pageโs pulse?
Iโm advising all my clients, and basically, anyone who will listen to me, to run, donโt walk to check your core web vitals via the PageSpeed Insights tool to find out where your site currently stands.ย
Entering a URL and hitting โAnalyzeโ will quickly get you a detailed picture of whatโs slowing that web page based partly on these parameters, complete with recommendations on how to fix it.
- Parameter 1: Time to above-the-fold load. This is the amount of time it takes for a page to display content above the fold after a user requests a new page.
- Parameter 2: Time to full page load. This is the amount of time it takes a browser to fully render a page after a user requests it.
It works, according to Google, like this:
Page Speed Insights measures the performance of a page for mobile devices and desktop devices. It fetches the URL twice, once with a mobile user-agent, and once with a desktop-user agent.
The PageSpeed Insights Score ranges from 0 to 100 points, with color coding for different performance ranges. A higher score is better and a score of 90 or above indicates that the page is performing well (and shows a green color).ย Scores between 50 and 89 indicate room for improvement (and shows a yellow color). Scores 49 and below are considered โpoorโ (and shows a red color).
If your site is green, youโre in the clear. If itโs in the red, it means your page has some glaring loading issues.
What to do?
What may be the easiest way to boost your PageSpeed Insightsโ score has nothing to do with writing a jazzy new headline or changing the font on your CTA button. Instead, youโve got to start delivering a better user experience with faster, more stable page loads.ย
Your woes could stem from anything from a suboptimal bargain web host, โheavyโ image-laden pages, to render-blocking javascript.
If itโs broke, fix it
The truth is, you shouldnโt be fixing your site just so it ranks on the first page–remember, optimal user experience is the holy grail of any online businessโs sustained success. In that regard, Google is not doing you a disservice by calling attention to this critical issue.ย
If this post is elevating your blood pressure and all you want to do is focus on your business and not get bogged down with the endless curveballs Google has in store for you, rest assured that these issues can all be addressed. If you want to make sure your site is mobile-optimized and your PageSpeed Insights scores are in the โgreen zone,โ hiring an SEO expert can add exponential value to your business, and help you sleep at night. It just so happensโฆ I know a guy.






