You may have seen the phrase ‘Core Web Vitals’ being bandied about, but do you know what it means? They’re going to become an important factor in Google’s ranking signals over the next few months – so make sure you’re prepared.
Core Web Vitals explained
First of all, it’s important to know exactly what Google considers to be Core Web Vitals, and it’s made up of three separate elements.
The first is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which is the time it takes for a page’s main content to load. Ideally, you’ll want to do this in less than 2.5 seconds.
The second is First Input Delay (FID). This is the time it takes for a page to become interactive – for example, the first time you can click on something. Ideally, this needs to be less than 100 milliseconds.
Finally, the last element is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). This indicates a page’s stability and is a measurement of how much the web page individual elements jump around. A good example would be buttons shifting when you try to click.
How Google is going to use these
Google is going to combine these ranking factors with some already well-known ones to judge a website’s user experience. The better the user experience, the more likely the site will rank well. The other signals include:
- Mobile-friendliness – making sure your website works well on mobile devices
- Safe browsing – making sure your site has no malware or safety issues
- HTTPS security – having an SSL certificate installed on your website
- Intrusive interstitial guidelines – ensuring you don’t have pop-ups that obscure the content on your website
What do you need to do?
Google has just announced that it is postponing the rollout of the update until later this year, rather than next month – so you do have some time to look at solutions. However, until the algorithm update is rolled out, we don’t know what the effect will be. Nevertheless, having a solid website that works is always going to hold you in good stead. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress that uses lots of plugins, make sure your plugins are up to date so that they don’t cause issues, and see what you can delete to help your website load more quickly.
If you need a hand getting your site ready for Google’s next update, chat to us. Our specialists are experts in SEO, and our Delve process assesses your digital presence and infrastructure to guarantee your digital success. Contact us to find out more or visit our services page.
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