Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of specific metrics that Google uses to measure real-world user experience on web pages. The three metrics are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measuring loading performance, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measuring interactivity responsiveness, and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measuring visual stability.

These metrics are confirmed Google ranking signals and directly impact organic search performance. Poor Core Web Vitals scores can suppress rankings even for otherwise well-optimized content, while strong scores provide a competitive advantage in tight ranking races.

Optimizing Core Web Vitals involves technical interventions: image optimization and lazy loading for LCP, JavaScript optimization and event handler efficiency for INP, and explicit dimension attributes plus content reservation for CLS. Regular monitoring through Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights is essential.