In May 2021, Google released a major algorithm update called Core Web Vitals. This update aimed to improve the user experience by measuring and ranking website loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These three factors are now known as Core Web Vitals and have a significant impact on SEO rankings.
The three Core Web Vitals are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – measures the loading speed of the largest content element on a web page.
- First Input Delay (FID) – measures the interactivity of a website, specifically the time it takes for the website to respond to a user’s first interaction.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – measures the visual stability of a website, specifically the amount of unexpected layout shifts that occur during page loading.
Here are three strategies that can be used to make the best use of Google Core Web Vitals:
- Optimize images and other content: The Largest Contentful Paint metric is heavily influenced by the size and loading speed of images, videos, and other multimedia content. Compressing images, reducing file sizes, and using a content delivery network (CDN) can help reduce loading times and improve LCP scores.
- Minimize third-party scripts and code: Third-party scripts, such as those used for analytics and advertising, can add significant overhead to a website and increase loading times. Minimizing or eliminating these scripts can improve FID scores and reduce the overall load time of a web page.
- Prioritize user experience: Ultimately, the goal of Core Web Vitals is to improve the user experience. Designing a website with a focus on user experience can lead to better SEO rankings and higher engagement. For example, ensuring that website elements do not shift unexpectedly during loading, providing clear navigation and easy-to-use forms can all improve the Cumulative Layout Shift metric and the overall user experience.
Here are two examples of websites that have improved their Core Web Vitals and seen an impact on their SEO rankings:
- Strava – Strava, a social fitness app, saw a 32% improvement in their LCP scores by optimizing image sizes and implementing lazy loading. This improvement led to a 20% increase in click-through rates and a 14% increase in conversion rates.
- WebFX – WebFX, a digital marketing agency, improved their CLS scores by reducing the size of page elements and implementing CSS animations. This improvement led to a 28% increase in organic traffic and a 21% increase in leads.
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