What to Know:
– Google claims that optimizing Core Web Vitals can save over 10,000 years in load times.
– Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the user experience of a website, including page loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
– These metrics are becoming increasingly important for search engine rankings, as Google plans to incorporate them into its ranking algorithm in May 2021.
– However, a recent study found that the majority of websites do not meet the thresholds set by Google for Core Web Vitals.
– The study analyzed over 2 million URLs and found that only 15% of desktop and 55% of mobile pages met the thresholds for all Core Web Vitals metrics.
– The study also found that larger websites tend to perform worse in terms of Core Web Vitals, indicating that optimizing these metrics can be challenging for sites with a lot of content or complex functionality.
The Full Story:
Google has been emphasizing the importance of Core Web Vitals for quite some time now. These metrics, which include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), measure the user experience of a website in terms of page loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Google has announced that it will incorporate Core Web Vitals into its ranking algorithm in May 2021, making them a crucial factor for SEO.
In a recent blog post, Google claimed that optimizing Core Web Vitals can save over 10,000 years in load times for users every day. This claim is based on the fact that improving these metrics leads to faster and more efficient websites, resulting in a better user experience. Google also provided some examples of websites that have successfully optimized their Core Web Vitals and seen significant improvements in their performance.
However, a study conducted by SEO software company SISTRIX found that the majority of websites do not meet the thresholds set by Google for Core Web Vitals. The study analyzed over 2 million URLs and found that only 15% of desktop and 55% of mobile pages met the thresholds for all Core Web Vitals metrics. This indicates that there is still a long way to go for most websites to meet Google’s standards.
The study also found that larger websites tend to perform worse in terms of Core Web Vitals. This is likely due to the fact that larger websites often have more content and complex functionality, which can make it more challenging to optimize these metrics. However, the study also found that even smaller websites struggle to meet the thresholds, suggesting that there is a lack of awareness or understanding of Core Web Vitals among website owners.
So, what can website owners do to optimize their Core Web Vitals and improve their chances of ranking well in Google’s search results? Google provides a variety of tools and resources to help website owners measure and improve their Core Web Vitals. The PageSpeed Insights tool, for example, provides a detailed analysis of a website’s performance and offers suggestions for improvement. Google also offers a Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console, which provides an overview of a website’s performance in terms of these metrics.
Some common strategies for optimizing Core Web Vitals include:
1. Optimizing images and videos: Large media files can significantly slow down a website’s loading speed. Compressing images and videos, using lazy loading techniques, and optimizing file formats can help improve LCP and CLS.
2. Minimizing JavaScript and CSS: Excessive JavaScript and CSS can delay the rendering of a web page and impact FID. Minifying and compressing these files, as well as removing unnecessary code, can help improve performance.
3. Caching and content delivery networks (CDNs): Caching static content and using CDNs can help reduce server response times and improve LCP and FID.
4. Prioritizing above-the-fold content: Loading and rendering above-the-fold content first can improve perceived loading speed and reduce CLS.
5. Monitoring and testing: Regularly monitoring and testing a website’s performance using tools like PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse can help identify areas for improvement and track progress over time.
In conclusion, optimizing Core Web Vitals is crucial for website owners who want to improve their user experience and maintain a competitive edge in search engine rankings. While Google claims that optimizing these metrics can save over 10,000 years in load times, the majority of websites still do not meet the thresholds set by Google. Website owners should take advantage of the tools and resources provided by Google to measure and improve their Core Web Vitals and ensure their websites are optimized for a better user experience.
Original article: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-claims-core-web-vitals-saved-over-10000-years-in-load-times/500951/