Introduction
Google Core Web Vitals: With time Google has optimized its feature to cater to the changing needs of its web audience and ensure their better experience. In 2021, Google has taken the initiative to officially consider the “Page Experience Update,” where it stresses the factors like mobile friendliness, SSL certification, and intrusive interstitials. Core Web Vitals (CWV), including the above-said factors, shall now directly relate to Google ranking. This article delves into the changes of this sphere and suggests how to be prepared for this transition.
There have been various speculations regarding the changes. It evokes the question:
Google Core Web Vitals: What would happen to Google AMP?
Although it was expected that Core Web Vitals would make Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) obsolete, Google engineers have hinted otherwise as AMP would prove to be the perfect criterion for passing CWV standards. However, with more significant stress on CWV, AMP will no longer be a critical criterion for appearing in the Google news feed. At present, the Page experience update will highlight not only mobile-friendliness but also Google Newsreader feasibility. Although AMP is not necessary yet, it can contribute to maintaining the site according to CWV standards. However, it is being anticipated that AMP might become obsolete within a few years due to the concerns related to privacy and the cost of operation.
Critical aspects of Google Core Web Vitals
- It was officially launched in May 2021. The launch got delayed due to the global pandemic situation.
- Its first metric is “How fast does the page load?”
- The second metric is “How stable is the page?”
- The third one is “How quickly is the page interactive?”
- With the addition of new aspects, Core Web Vitals will be updated.
- CWV will determine the website’s traffic and Apart from content quality, Google will now consider user experience as the determining factor for ranking the websites. anking and remove low-quality websites from the search results, thereby narrowing the search.
Core Web Vitals Are Features You Want Anyway
Apart from Google ranking, CWV also ensures the users’ satisfaction of a web page, improves the reputation of the brand owning the web page, and increases the chances of lead conversion. CWV is already an integral part of a website as mobile-friendliness and updated technology are included in the content management systems (CMS) like WordPress. Its plug-ins and the web design software are also replete with the feature of staying updated. Again, CWV is applicable for all web pages of a website.
Quick Core Web Vitals Tips
For better Google ranking, all web pages now need to be optimized for CWV. Specific factors related to it are:
- Page experience is a determining factor only for mobile searches, while the ranking system for desktop and laptop users is different.
- A good experience also depends on the server and the hosting plan that can handle the bandwidth.
- Page builders need to update new standards and maintain a lightweight theme for the blog’s post structure.
- It is advisable to install a cache plug-in tool for full-page caching.
- It is also essential to get rid of excessive ads on web pages.
Core Web Vitals in Detail
Thus, these factors determine the quality of user experience and Google ranking.
Page Load Speed
Score:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
2.5 seconds – good
4.0 seconds – poor
longer than 4 seconds – bad
The speed at which content gets loaded to the webpage is an essential factor. Here it depends on mobile data loading on the user’s phone screen.
How does Largest Contentful Paint function?
It is the loading speed of the largest block of content on the user’s screen. These enormous blocks may include
- images
- video
- block-level text
Google determines a part of the content to be most prominent and only measures it as LCP.
In the case of the images that need to be scaled down, their scaled sizes are considered. While the ones that need to be scaled up, their original size is considered. It is also evident in the case of video frames. However, the texts are taken as constants. Here the size is determined by the size of fonts or the header tags.
How To Fix It:
- It is better to avoid slow loading due to slow server, excessive JavaScript, and slow time to fetch resources.
- An efficient web host is necessary.
- In the case of media-rich content, it is better to use a plug-in to optimize the loading size
- Bloating of web page’s DOM (document object model), caused by excessive iframes, embedding apps, etc., must be avoided.
Page Stability
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Score:
0.1 – good
0.25 – poor
over 0.25 – bad
Sometimes when a page is loading, tapping a button shifts us to another page layout. It affects the customer experience negatively. Ensuring no shift in pages on a mobile device can lead to a good CLS score. The user wants a stable page loading without any movement or shifting of the page during a web page loading. The CLAS metric tries to ensure that.
How To Fix It:
Specifying the size dimension of each image and video content can solve this issue. It enables the web browser software to fix a space for loading the content block to prevent a sudden shift in pages.
Page interactivity speed
First Input Delay (FID)
Score:
100 milliseconds – good
300 milliseconds – poor
over 300 milliseconds – bad
It deals with the speed issue of pages with interactive elements, where you have to enter some data in each section. It checks how fast the input can be analyzed or handled. It also measures the website’s response time in milliseconds in reacting to any user’s input action like clicking an option or tapping on drop-down options.
How To Fix It:
The delay in the page’s response is caused by JavaScript programs loading in the background, and thus it must be fixed by testing, auditing, and optimizing the code.
Tools To Check the Website
- The CWV reporting tools in Google Search Console
- Google Pagespeed Insights
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test
- SEO Analysis tools
Finally, Moz.com provides speed optimization tips and guidance to solve image file formats, load redundant or duplicate JavaScript, Text blocking, Unused cascading style sheets (CSS), etc.
Google Core Web Vitals Standards
It reveals that the web design is bloated in most websites, which goes unchecked with extreme elements on a page for marketing. However, a proper balance can be maintained in improving webpage efficiency and marketing activities by paying attention to the Java Scripts running in most web pages causing the bloat and affecting loading speed.
Conclusion
CWV has an immense impact on search engine ranking, and thus the web owners must optimize their sites to make them more user-friendly. Apart from content quality, Google will now consider user experience as the determining factor for ranking the websites. Optimization is necessary, according to the update, to survive the stiff market competition.
