Google Core Web Vitals: What They Are and Why They’re Important for Your Site

Did you know that Google evaluates how user-friendly your site is? Moreover, if the search engine decides that it’s inconvenient, it will be difficult to promote your site to the top and get organic traffic. In this article, we’ll analyze the parameters by which Google evaluates a site, and what to do if they decrease.

Core Web Vitals WordPress Indicators: Determining the Main Parameters

Core Web Vitals is the general name for performance metrics that the search engine uses to assess the usability of any site. This group includes the following indicators:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP);
• First Input Delay (FID);
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Largest Contentful Paint shows the time it takes for the main content on the page to be displayed to the user. The time between the browser response and the user’s first interaction with the element is no less important for Google, it is shown by First Input Delay. The visual stability of the page is assessed through the Cumulative Layout Shift indicator.

Let’s analyze typical LCP problems

In order to occupy high positions in Google, the LCP indicator must be 2.5. The main problems due to which this value can decrease:

• unoptimized images;
• code problems;
• slow rendering on the server side.

If the LCP is bad, optimization is critical to make the site user-friendly.

FID: Why it is important and how to improve it

If this indicator is more than 100 ms, the site is considered to have poor interactivity. High values ​​increase the risk that the user will abandon the page due to delays. Reasons why FID can increase:

• unoptimized interaction events;
• load from third-party scripts;
• over-processing of JavaScript in the main thread.

CLS: How to minimize unexpected layout shifts

Notice that content “jumps” on the page? Most likely, the CLS indicator is greater than 0.1. Why can this parameter be high?

• markup changes due to asynchronous fonts;
• dynamically loading advertising materials;
• inserting visuals without specifying sizes.

If the page is visually stable, the user will have more trust in the site.

SEO and ranking: About the main impact of these indicators

Google officially included Core Web Vitals among ranking factors in its Page Experience Update. Consequences if the indicators do not meet the search engine recommendations:

• decline in visibility in SERPs;
• decrease in conversion rate;
• decrease in page view depth.

We recommend that you optimize regularly and keep these indicators in the green zone. This will not only have a positive effect on SEO, but also increase the level of user trust in your site.

Checking the indicators of your WordPress site

There are several ways to conduct a Core Web Vitals assessment on your WordPress site. Let’s look at the main methods:

• Google PageSpeed ​​Insights. This tool makes it easy to analyze your site. Google PageSpeed ​​Insights provides recommendations for improving Core Web Vitals.
• Google Search Console. You can see real data collected from users’ browsers. The Core Web Vitals section in GSC shows trends over the last 28 days.

You can use other tools, for example, GTmetrix allows you to analyze the speed of your site and key UX metrics. Core Web Vitals plugins are also popular, which automatically analyze parameters.

About LCP optimization on WordPress

To optimize this parameter, you need to have knowledge of development. We will tell you how our team improves the LCP score:

• We optimize images. We use the modern webp format. In addition, we use Lazy Loading for visuals.
• We implement CDN. Thanks to this, the largest element of the page loads much faster.

We also recommend choosing fast hosting if the resources on the one you are using are not enough.

FID improvements on your site

To improve this score, we work with the code. Core Web Vitals strategies for optimizing FID:

• minification and minification of JavaScript;
• browser caching;
• reduction of analytical and marketing scripts.

In addition, we install special caching plugins and configure them.

How we fix CLS problems on the WP web

To improve the CLS score, our WPWP.BZ team checks the correct connection of fonts. Then we fix the sizes of banners, videos and other visuals. Specialists also stabilize advertising and use flexbox or grid layout with clearly defined element sizes.

How to maintain Core Web Vitals performance?

To ensure that your site is always Google-friendly, it needs to be maintained. Here’s what we recommend:

• regularly monitor performance using special tools;
• test key metrics using PageSpeed ​​Insights, WebPageTest, or GTmetrix;
• avoid using heavy page builders and excessive functionality;
• regularly update plugins, themes, and other components.

Conclusion: Why are core web metrics important for WordPress?

Positive UX directly correlates with the commercial performance of the site: increased time spent on site, reduced bounce rate. Core Web Vitals is not just a technical goal. It directly affects organic traffic and competitiveness. Regular performance optimization is a strategic investment in the stability, security, and scalability of your online business. If your site is performing poorly and needs Core Web Vitals optimization, our web development team can help you improve it!