Google Core Web Vitals — 3 Things You Should Know
What is Google Core Web Vitals, and why should you pay attention?
Google Core Web Vital is a new ranking factor that you need to pay attention to in 2021 — if you fail to do so, it might lead to lower rankings in the SERPS and less organic traffic from Google.
The key findings in Core Web Vitals are load speed and user experience.
The Need for speed
It is not a new thing that Google considers load speed as an important indicator. In fact, already back in Juli 2018, Google rolled out an update called the “Speed update.”
Back then, Google stated: “The “Speed Update,” as we’re calling it, will only affect pages that deliver the slowest experience to users and will only affect a small percentage of queries.”.
Moving fast forward, speed is going to have even more importance in 2021.
Google has been pretty specific this time — On November 10, Google announced: “Today we’re announcing that the page experience signals in ranking will roll out in May 2021.”.
The breakdown of Core Web Vitals
As I mentioned in the beginning, the main focus on this ranking factor is UX. Web performance matters and even you have a stunning looking website.
You are not being rewarded if your users experience slow performance.
But let us have a look at the three key aspects of the Core Web Vitals:
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
This the measurement of the largest element’s load performance that loads on your URL in the initial viewport.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that this is not the same measurement as “first contentful paint.”
First contentful paint focuses on the measurement of the first thing being loaded, rather than the biggest.
2. First Input Delay (FID)
The first input delay is a measurement for interactivity. An example can be if a user clicks on a link or push a navigation button, and it takes time for the browser to process the user interaction.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
This is a measurement of the overall page load stability. The algorithm is measuring an unexpected layout shift when your page is loaded.
An example could be banners or graphics that load late in your page load speed, and that unexpected layout shift is a bad user experience that can harm your CLS score.
How can you measure Core Web Vitals?
If you have installed Google Search Console (you should do that!) You can already access the Core Web Vitals.
If your site is new or doesn’t have enough traffic yet, there might not be enough data to show, but check it regularly.
You can also use Google’s Chrome User Experience report. These are the data your website is being scored against.
The Chrome User Experience report is how Google measures users’ experience when using the Chrome browser.
It is possible to access those data through Google Data Studio report. It requires that you hook up your domain, and it can be done here:
If you need a testing tool and want to take a closer look at the elements that are slowing your website, you can examine your individual URL by using Pagespeed Insights or use “Lighthouse” built into the Chrome browser.
A pagespeed report would show you a breakdown of:
- First Contentful Paint
- Speed Index
- Largest Contentful Paint
- Time to Interactive
- Total Blocking Time
- Cumulative Layout Shift
Each element causing a delay in your load speed will have a little description and a link if you need to dig a bit deeper or pass the information to your developer.
Conclusion:
Pagespeed and mobile-friendliness user experience are core web vitals metrics in 2021 if you want to drive organic traffic from Google to your website.
You need to focus on all the moving parts on your website — from the visual stability and design, image optimization, javascript, and of course, safe browsing.
Since the user experience is an important ranking signal, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the bounce rate of your URLs and user engagement.
A high bounce rate is usually a signal that the user did not find what they were looking for.
Use Google Analytics and Google search console and pay attention to low CTR and bounce rate.
Pay attention to your most important keywords, especially the user intent — what is it the person wants to achieve by typing in a specific keyword in the search engine.
What kind of issues is the user trying to solve, and are there questions you can help answer?
Load performance and quality content combined are two powerful quality signals that greatly impact user expectations and behavior.
If you already experience problems with your load time, then consult Google Pagespeed Insights and examine the recommendations.
Some of the things like server response times need to be addressed to your web host, and you might need to consult your web developer for the technical SEO if there are opportunities for improvement.
If your loading performance is slow, now is the time to improve Core Web Vitals. Remember, it is counted as a ranking factor in May 2021.
If you are prepared, your website might be in the 75th percentile of the sites that perform best, which would lead to better rankings in the SERPS.
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