Google is no longer content with good content alone. It also demands an excellent user experience. That’s why Core Web Vitals have gained prominence in the SEO world. These technical metrics directly influence your position in search results.
If your website, whether corporate, an online store, or a WordPress blog, does not meet the recommended minimum values, your visibility can be drastically affected. Below, we explain what they are, why they are so important, and how you can optimize them to improve your website’s performance and avoid penalties.
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics defined by Google that evaluate the user experience when interacting with a web page. In summary, they measure loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
They currently consist of:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Measures how long it takes for the main content to appear. Ideal value: less than 2.5 seconds.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Evaluates whether the layout shifts while loading. The value should be less than 0.1.
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Measures responsiveness after an interaction. Recommended value: less than 200 ms.
Why do Core Web Vitals affect your SEO on Google?
Since Google integrated user experience as a ranking factor in its algorithm (through the Page Experience update), Core Web Vitals have become essential. It’s not enough to have good content or inbound links: if your website loads slowly, looks bad, or responds with a delay, it loses authority.
An optimized site:
- Improves its organic position
- Reduces bounce rate
- Increases user interaction
- Improves conversion rate
Furthermore, in an environment dominated by mobile traffic, offering an impeccable technical experience is more important than ever. Google prioritizes websites adapted to all devices.
Main errors that degrade Core Web Vitals
Many websites carry technical bad practices that affect their performance. Some of the most frequent errors are:
- Uncompressed images or not in modern formats: Increase LCP
- Too much JavaScript and CSS: Slow down the site and hinder interaction (affecting INP)
- Slow or unstable hosting: Negatively impacts all metrics
- Intrusive advertising or uncontrolled embedded elements: Cause layout shifts (CLS)
- Lack of cache or compression: Forces the browser to load everything from scratch
How to improve Core Web Vitals on your Website
Here are some tools that can help you:
These platforms will show you where you are failing and what you need to improve.
LCP Optimization
- Use images in WebP format
- Implement lazy loading
- Remove unnecessary scripts from the header
- Use lightweight and well-coded themes
INP Optimization
- Reduce the number of heavy plugins
- Minify and combine JS and CSS files
- Use deferred or asynchronous script loading
CLS Optimization
- Define widths and heights for images and dynamic elements
- Reserve fixed space for ads
- Prevent content from shifting after loading
Server and cache improvement
- Use plugins like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache
- Enable GZIP compression
- Add a CDN (Cloudflare or similar)
How to know if your website complies with Core Web Vitals?
Google Search Console is the best tool to validate if your site complies. In the Core Web Vitals section, you can see a summary of URLs that need improvements, classified by device (mobile and desktop).
You can also install extensions like Web Vitals for Chrome, which show you an immediate diagnosis as you browse.
Do Core Web Vitals affect all sites equally?
Yes, from personal blogs to online stores or corporate pages, all websites are affected. Even if your content is excellent, if the technical experience is not up to par, Google will penalize you.
Conclusion: Core Web Vitals are not optional
Google is sending a clear message: offering a good user experience is as important as creating good content. Therefore, neglecting Core Web Vitals is putting your visibility, traffic, and conversions at risk.
FAQs: About Core Web Vitals
Are Core Web Vitals mandatory to appear on Google?
They are not mandatory, but they directly influence your ranking. Ignoring them can cost you visibility.
What free tools help measure them?
Google PageSpeed Insights, Search Console, and Lighthouse are free and very effective.
Can these metrics be improved with plugins?
Yes, plugins like WP Rocket, Perfmatters, or Autoptimize are ideal for optimizing technical performance.
How often should they be reviewed?
Ideally, this should be done monthly or after making significant changes to the website’s design or functionality.
Does having many images affect LCP?
Yes, especially if they are not optimized. It is essential to compress them and use the appropriate format.
Does good hosting make a difference?
Absolutely. A slow or overloaded server will negatively affect all metrics.
Do you want to improve your website’s performance?
At Several, we help you with technical audits, implementation of improvements, and personalized optimization so that your website meets all of Google’s standards.
