What to Know:
– Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the user experience of a website.
– These metrics include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
– Google has announced that Core Web Vitals will become a ranking factor in May 2021.
– However, Google has also stated that content relevance will still be the primary factor in determining rankings.
– Core Web Vitals will be incorporated into the existing page experience signals, which include mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines.
The Full Story:
Google has recently announced that Core Web Vitals will become a ranking factor in May 2021. This means that websites that provide a better user experience, as measured by Core Web Vitals, may have an advantage in search engine rankings. But what exactly are Core Web Vitals, and how do they impact rankings?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the user experience of a website. They focus on three key aspects: loading, interactivity, and visual stability. The metrics used to measure these aspects are:
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This metric measures the time it takes for the largest content element on a webpage to become visible to the user. Google considers a good LCP score to be less than 2.5 seconds.
2. First Input Delay (FID): FID measures the time it takes for a webpage to respond to the first user interaction, such as clicking a button or selecting a menu item. A good FID score is less than 100 milliseconds.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): CLS measures the visual stability of a webpage by calculating the amount of unexpected layout shifts that occur during the loading process. A good CLS score is less than 0.1.
Google has stated that Core Web Vitals will be incorporated into the existing page experience signals, which include mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines. This means that while Core Web Vitals will be a factor in rankings, they will not be the only factor. Content relevance will still be the primary factor in determining rankings.
It is important to note that Google has also stated that the impact of Core Web Vitals on rankings will be gradual. This means that websites will not see an immediate change in rankings when the update is rolled out in May 2021. Instead, the impact will be felt over time as Google collects more data on websites’ Core Web Vitals performance.
So, what does this mean for website owners and SEO professionals? It means that optimizing for Core Web Vitals is important for providing a better user experience and potentially improving search engine rankings. By improving LCP, FID, and CLS scores, websites can ensure that their pages load quickly, respond to user interactions promptly, and maintain visual stability.
To optimize for Core Web Vitals, website owners can take several steps:
1. Optimize page loading speed: This can be done by minimizing server response time, leveraging browser caching, and optimizing images and other page elements.
2. Reduce JavaScript execution time: JavaScript can often slow down page loading and interactivity. By minimizing and optimizing JavaScript code, websites can improve FID scores.
3. Avoid layout shifts: Layout shifts can be caused by elements loading asynchronously or by dynamic content being inserted into the page. By ensuring that elements have fixed dimensions and by using CSS animations instead of JavaScript, websites can reduce CLS scores.
It is also worth noting that Google has provided tools and resources to help website owners measure and improve their Core Web Vitals performance. The PageSpeed Insights tool and the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console can provide insights into a website’s performance and suggest optimizations.
In conclusion, Core Web Vitals will become a ranking factor in May 2021, but they will not be the only factor. Content relevance will still be the primary factor in determining rankings. However, optimizing for Core Web Vitals is important for providing a better user experience and potentially improving search engine rankings. By improving LCP, FID, and CLS scores, website owners can ensure that their pages load quickly, respond to user interactions promptly, and maintain visual stability. Google has provided tools and resources to help website owners measure and improve their Core Web Vitals performance.
Original article: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ranking-factors/are-core-web-vitals-a-ranking-factor/