Google uses Core Web Vitals as ranking factors. But what are they, and why should you care? Here’s the plain-language explanation.
Why Core Web Vitals Matter
Google wants to rank sites that provide good user experiences. Core Web Vitals are their way of measuring that. If your site performs poorly on these metrics, it can hurt your rankings regardless of how good your content is.
The Three Metrics
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
What it measures: How fast the main content of your page loads.
In plain English: When someone visits your page, how long until they see the most important thing on it?
Target: Under 2.5 seconds.
Common problems: Slow server response, large images, too much JavaScript.
2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
What it measures: How responsive your page is when users interact with it.
In plain English: When someone clicks a button or types in a form, how fast does the page respond?
Target: Under 200 milliseconds.
Common problems: Heavy JavaScript blocking the main thread.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
What it measures: How much your page layout jumps around while loading.
In plain English: Have you ever tried to click a link, but an ad loaded and pushed it down, causing you to click something else? That’s layout shift.
Target: Under 0.1.
Common problems: Images without dimensions, dynamically loaded content, ads.
How to Check Your Score
Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights (free) to check your Core Web Vitals. It gives you real-world data from actual users, plus lab data for debugging.
The Mitraft Difference
When we build a site, Core Web Vitals aren’t an afterthought, they’re a requirement. Our static-generated sites typically score:
- LCP: Under 1 second
- INP: Under 50 milliseconds
- CLS: 0
That’s not just “good enough”, it’s exceptional. And it directly impacts your search rankings and user experience.
Want to know how your site performs? We’ll run a free audit and show you exactly where you stand.