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Core Web Vitals optimization isn't only about appeasing Google; it's about providing faster, cleaner, and more usable experiences to your visitors.
In 2025, performance = visibility. Google doesn't only rank websites on keyword basis, but also ranks them for how they feel to real people. That is where the Core Web Vitals come in.
These are three metrics that tell how fast, stable, and responsive a website is-they affect SEO as well.
If your site feels sluggish, jittery or clumsy-you're forfeiting both your ranking and users.
Metric | What It Measures | Good Score |
|---|---|---|
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | Loading speed of the biggest visual element | |
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | Visual stability—does stuff jump around as it loads? | < 0.1 |
INP (Interaction to Next Paint) | How fast your site responds to clicks and taps | < 200 ms |
These tools are great, free and will do the job:
For PageSpeed Insights visit → pagespeed.web.dev
You can find Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools
Web Vital Extension maintained for browser testing in real time
In Search Console, you can view Page Experience Report(s) across all pages
Goal: Make the loading fast for the functional content.
What hurts it:
Slow server response
Render block scripts
Non-optimized images
Heavy fonts
Fixing options:
Employ a CDN such as Cloudflare or BunnyCDN
Compress images and lazy-load them
Inline critical CSS
Preload fonts and act hero images
On an example, in a fashion store, hero banners in PNG format were replaced by WebP-compressed images. With that, LCP decreased from 3.8s to 1.9s.
Goal: To prevent layout elements from changing during loading of the page.
What hurts it:
Images without dimensions
Ads, embeds, or iframes pushing content down
Fonts loading late
Fixing options:
Always define the width and height of the image/video tags.
Use CSS aspect-ratio.
Reserve space towards ads/components through the implementation of placeholders.
Pro Tip: Font display as swap to reduce layout jumps when the font renders.
Goal: To make sure that the site gives a response to the user activity quickly.
What hurts it:
Javascript blocking the main thread
Heavy frameworks (React, Angular, etc., misused)
Too many third-party scripts
Fixing options:
Deferring or delaying the loading of non-expedient JavaScript
Chunking the workload
Adopt lightweight frameworks or static site generators
Example: A blog migrating from jQuery plugins to vanilla JS saw improvements in INP from 320ms to 140ms.
Avoid optimization just for mobile or desktop; check the other.
INP is a ranking factor; so don't ignore it, as it is not an option anymore.
At least two tests should be made, each on its own using various tools/devices.
Tool | What It’s Best For |
|---|---|
Search Console | Site-wide tracking over time |
PageSpeed Insights | Individual page reports |
Advanced waterfall breakdown | |
Cloudflare Analytics | If you’re using their CDN, great for global speed |
Core Web Vitals optimization isn't only about appeasing Google; it's about providing faster, cleaner, and more usable experiences to your visitors.
A website that feels good is better for rankings, retention, and revenue.
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