Core Web Vitals are Google's measures of real-world page experience.
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): how fast the main content appears. Aim for 2.5 seconds or less.
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint): how quickly the page responds to clicks and taps. Aim for 200 milliseconds or less.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): how much the layout jumps while loading. Aim for 0.1 or less.
Common fixes
- LCP: a fast server, compressed and correctly sized hero images, fewer render-blocking resources.
- INP: less JavaScript, split long tasks, defer non-essential scripts.
- CLS: width and height on images and embeds, reserved space for ads and banners.
Measure
The page speed checker tests a page; the TTFB checker, page size checker and JavaScript defer checker help find the cause.
Lab data vs field data
Lab tests load a page once under fixed conditions; they are great for debugging. Field data comes from real visitors over weeks and is what search engines use for Core Web Vitals. A page can pass in the lab and fail in the field if real visitors use slower phones and networks.
The biggest wins
- Compress and resize images, especially the main image.
- Cache pages and use a fast host.
- Remove or defer scripts you do not need.
- Reserve space for images, ads and embeds.
Third-party scripts
Chat widgets, social embeds, tracking tags and ads often cost more speed than your own code. Load them after the main content, or only on pages that need them.
Speed is for people
Faster pages keep more visitors, sell more and are easier to use. Better rankings are a bonus.
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