The Complete Guide to Core Web Vitals

When it comes to your business’s SEO (search engine optimization), there is a new ranking factor you need to learn about: core web vitals. Google’s most recent algorithm change is focused on benefiting your ranking factors and helping your website reach more people every single day.

Google recently announced a new set of metrics called Core Web Vitals that will be part of the upcoming search ranking signal.

Source: Searchenginejournal.com

Note: The Page experience is a set of signals that will measure aspects of how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond its net information value.

Now, this may not seem like a big deal because Google makes hundreds of changes every year to their ranking algorithms. Occasionally, they update their system in a way that drastically affects website rankings. When they do, they like to give webmasters time to update their sites before the change happens so they can adjust accordingly.

If your website’s Google rankings aren’t where you’d like them to be, this core web vitals update may be exactly what you need to boost your site. If you’re ready to learn all about this new update so you can make the necessary adjustments before it’s too late, this article is a must-read! We cover the basics of core web vitals and what they mean for your SEO Services.

What are Core Web Vitals?

Core web vitals are a specific set of factors that Google considers necessary when it pertains to your website visitor’s experience. When Googling core products, you’ll find that there are many things in the works, but at the top of the list is a search engine.

The core web vitals Google will be looking at are:

• How fast your web pages load
• How interactive are the aspects of your site
• Is your website stable

Source: Calibreapp.com

Also, with more people using mobile devices to search the web than ever, they will be looking to see how your site functions and how quick it is on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure your visitors have a good experience.

It’s not so much about the text you have on your webpages anymore. The core web vitals are focused on user experience as a whole.

Factors like how easy it is to use your site, how it performs on different platforms, and how pleasant and useful your website is will heavily weigh into your ranking. If you aren’t sure how your site is currently performing in these areas, our performance SEO services can help prepare you for this and all future updates.

The Core Web Vitals Signals

Are you overwhelmed by these changes and the technical aspects they may entail? It’s best not to focus on the details of these changes, instead shift your attention to how you can improve your site.

The three main signals that will play into the core web vitals are:

1. LCP (largest contentful paint) refers to how long your webpage takes to load. What this includes is all render times, the size of embedded images and video, and the text on the page.

Source: web.dev

2. CLS (cumulative layout shift) focuses on the stability of your webpage. The stability refers to those minor shifts on the page that result in someone clicking on an icon or button they didn’t desire. When this happens, it results in frustrated customers, which is why it will now affect webpage ranking.

Source: web.dev

3. FID (first input delay) is all about how reactive and interactive your site is as a whole. Are there aspects of your site that seem like they should be clickable, but they aren’t? If so, your customers could be confused and frustrated, which will negatively affect business.

Source: web.dev

How Will This Affect Your Rankings?

Previously, a website’s AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) was a key factor for appearing in the top stories on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). But now, the core web vitals criteria will be what promotes or demotes your site’s ranking.

If you aren’t happy with where your site ranks currently, this is the perfect opportunity to boost your business! But on the other hand, if you’re ranking on that valuable first page for search engine results you need to make sure you keep your website updated otherwise you could fall significantly below where you deserve to be!

Also Read: Things You Need To Know About Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

How to Measure and Fix Your Site

If you want to see how your website is currently performing, you can generate a core web vitals report which will help you discover any hidden issues you might have on your site. If you have problems on your site that need to be fixed, the sooner you identify your problem areas, the better!

There are various ways to measure core web vital metrics for the website:

• Google’s PageSpeed Insights
• Chrome UX Report
• Google Search Console
• Chrome DevTools
• Lighthouse
• Web Vitals Chrome extension

Source: Link-assistant.com

Once you have a clearer understanding of where your site is struggling, focus your efforts on improving those areas. It’s also a good idea to take the time to verify how much traffic and how many leads you’re getting before and after you make your updates. With a more specific goal in mind, you’ll be able to better track and improve your site as a whole.

When Will This Change Take Place?

In the wake of COVID-19, the release of the core web vitals update has been pushed back to sometime in 2021. What this means is that you have some extra time to make necessary improvements to your website! If you need some help with your website design, we can help you be prepared for this change!

Once the change happens, it will be harder to regain your desired ranking. It’s critical to the success of your site that you take action now before these changes take effect!

Why Are Core Web Vitals Important to Your Business?

As these different ranking factors come into play, these factors will affect your site’s visibility on Google. User experience on your webpages is a collaborative experience that goes into how your site ranks time and time again.

While a good page experience won’t necessarily mean that you rank #1 on Google. The core web vitals are only one of many factors used to rank your site. Your site also needs to have useful, relevant content that answers your visitors’ questions.

Where to Start

Now is the time to start improving your website, so you’re ready for the core web vitals update! Comb through all of your webpages, use available tools to help you understand where you’re struggling, and contact a professional SEO company to make sure you set yourself up for success.

Don’t wait for the update to take effect and your ranking to drop before taking the necessary steps to succeed. Contact us today to understand how our digital assets can help your business grow and request a project estimate before making any commitments. For more information and industry insights, check out our other informative and expert articles on our blog.

Also Read : Your Page Speed Is More Important Than You Think