Site Speed
Core Web Vitals are Google's three key metrics for measuring page experience. They directly affect your search rankings and your conversion rates. But most explanations are full of developer jargon. This guide explains each metric in plain English — what it measures, why it matters, and what to do about it.
Check my Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are three specific metrics Google uses to measure how users experience your page: loading speed (Largest Contentful Paint), interactivity (Interaction to Next Paint), and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift). Google uses these metrics as ranking signals — pages with poor Core Web Vitals rank lower than pages with good ones, all else being equal.
LCP measures how long it takes for the largest visible element on your page to load — usually a hero image, a large heading, or a video. Google wants this under 2.5 seconds. If your LCP is over 4 seconds, it's rated 'poor'. Common causes: large unoptimized images, slow server response times, render-blocking JavaScript and CSS, and missing CDN. Fix: compress images, use modern formats (WebP), preload your hero image, and use a CDN.
INP replaced FID (First Input Delay) in 2024. It measures how quickly your page responds when a user interacts with it — clicking a button, tapping a menu, opening a dropdown. Google wants this under 200 milliseconds. If it's over 500ms, it's 'poor'. Common causes: heavy JavaScript blocking the main thread, third-party scripts, and too many event listeners. Fix: reduce JavaScript, defer non-critical scripts, and break up long tasks.
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CLS measures how much your page layout shifts while loading — content jumping around as images, ads, or fonts load. Google wants this under 0.1. If it's over 0.25, it's 'poor'. Common causes: images without width and height attributes, ads or embeds without reserved space, dynamically injected content, and web fonts that cause text to reflow. Fix: always set dimensions on images and embeds, reserve space for ads, and use font-display: swap.
Google has confirmed that Core Web Vitals are part of their ranking algorithm. They're not the most important ranking factor — content relevance and backlinks matter more — but they're a tiebreaker. When two pages have similar content quality, the one with better Core Web Vitals ranks higher. More importantly, Core Web Vitals affect whether visitors stay on your page long enough to convert. A slow, janky page loses visitors before they read your content.
You can check Core Web Vitals in Google PageSpeed Insights, Chrome DevTools, or Google Search Console. But the fastest way is to run a Velrix audit — it checks all three Core Web Vitals alongside 200+ other SEO, speed, and conversion signals, and tells you exactly what's causing any failures. You get a prioritised action plan, not just a score.
Core Web Vitals aren't just a Google checkbox — they directly affect whether visitors stay on your site long enough to become customers. A fast, stable, responsive page keeps people engaged. A slow, janky, unresponsive page drives them away.\n\nVelrix checks all three Core Web Vitals and tells you exactly what's causing any failures — in plain English, prioritised by impact. Run a free audit and fix your page experience.
Check my Core Web Vitals