By now, you’ve likely heard of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and the SEO community talking about Core Web Vitals. This recent Google update emphasizes user experience (UX), which is crucial as visitors want quality content that loads seamlessly on all devices. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter for your website’s success in 2024, and actionable steps to optimise them.
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability. They are a crucial part of Google’s Page Experience ranking signal, which also includes factors like mobile-friendliness, HTTPS security, and intrusive interstitials.
The three core metrics focus on:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How long it takes for the main content of a page to load.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How much the page layout shifts around unexpectedly as it loads.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How quickly a page becomes interactive after a user clicks on something.
The Importance of Core Web Vitals in 2024
Google has made it clear that Core Web Vitals are a significant ranking factor in 2024 and beyond. Websites with good Core Web Vitals scores are more likely to rank higher in search results, leading to increased organic traffic and visibility. Furthermore, these metrics directly correlate with user satisfaction: a fast, smooth, and visually stable experience keeps visitors engaged and encourages them to explore your site further.
Optimising Core Web Vitals: A Step-by-Step Guide
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Goal: LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.
How to Improve:
- Optimise and compress images using tools like TinyPNG.
- Minify CSS and JavaScript files.
- Remove render-blocking resources.
- Upgrade your web hosting to a faster server if you are using your website is not hosted on the cloud, i.e Shopify or Neto.
- Leverage browser caching.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Goal: Aim for a CLS score of 0.1 or less.
How to Improve:
- Specify dimensions for images and videos.
- Reserve space for ad elements.
- Avoid inserting content above existing content after the initial page load.
- Optimise font loading to prevent layout shifts.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
Goal: Strive for an INP of 200 milliseconds or less.
How to Improve:
- Minimise JavaScript execution time.
- Optimise third-party scripts.
- Use efficient event handlers.
Measuring and Monitoring Core Web Vitals
To track your website’s Core Web Vitals performance, use these tools:
- PageSpeed Insights: Provides a comprehensive analysis with specific recommendations.
- Web Vitals: Offers a simplified overview of your scores.
- Google Search Console: The Core Web Vitals report in Search Console shows real-world data from your users.
Additional Optimisation Tips
Besides improving Core Web Vitals, consider these additional tips to enhance your website’s performance:
- Minimise and merge CSS and JavaScript files to reduce their size and improve loading speed.
- Limit the use of external fonts to no more than 2. Optimise font loading by choosing system fonts or ensuring web fonts are loaded efficiently.
- Avoid using Font Awesome. Yes, you read it right — Font Awesome, while good, can slow down your site. Instead, use SVG icons (code, not images), which are scalable and load faster.
Swift Productions: Your Partner in Core Web Vitals Optimisation
Core Web Vitals are an important part of any SEO strategy. It’s essential to ensure that your eCommerce Website Design is optimised correctly, whether it’s on Shopify, Neto, or Woocommerce. If you’re overwhelmed or unsure where to start, Swift Productions can help. Our expert web development and SEO teams can analyse your website, identify areas for improvement, and implement optimisations to enhance your Core Web Vitals scores. Contact us today for a free consultation and take the first step towards a faster, more user-friendly website.
Frequently Asked Questions
In summary related to the article above, some of the common Frequently Asked Questions are below. If you can’t find your answer, don’t hesitate to Contact us.
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability on your website.
Core Web Vitals are important because they are a significant ranking factor for Google in 2024, directly impacting your website's search engine rankings and user experience.
To improve your LCP score, optimize and compress images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, remove render-blocking resources, and upgrade your web hosting if necessary.
A good CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) score is 0.1 or less. To achieve this, specify dimensions for images and videos, reserve space for ad elements, and avoid inserting content above existing content.
To improve your INP (Interaction to Next Paint) score, minimize JavaScript execution time, optimize third-party scripts, and use efficient event handlers.
You can use tools like PageSpeed Insights, Web Vitals, and Google Search Console to measure and monitor your website's Core Web Vitals performance.
Swift Productions can help by analyzing your website, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing optimizations to enhance your Core Web Vitals scores.
