New Google Algorithm Update – Core Web Vitals

There is a new prioritised performance assessment for Google’s search ranking algorithm coming into play. Google are now placing a lot more value on Core Web Vitals (CWV) when it comes to positioning websites in the rankings.

This blog will go into detail regarding what the CWVs are and how to optimise your website to ensure it is working at its highest possible performance level. Understanding CWVs, what they mean for your site and visitors is pivotal when it comes to SEO.

Core Web Vitals are made up of three measurements – Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These are all factors which add up to a ‘page experience’ score created by Google – this is their way of sizing up your page’s overall UX.

Let us take a closer look at the Core Web Vitals…

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) (Loading) – This analyses the time it takes to render the page itself. Your LCP should be within 2.5 seconds of someone landing on the page. You can check your LCP score by using Google PageSpeed Insights.

First Input Delay (FID) (Interactivity) – This notes the time it takes for the browser to process the event handlers of a user’s first interaction with your page. It calculates the page’s interactivity. A ‘good’ rating should be no more than 100 milliseconds.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) (Visual Stability) – Your website must be visually stable. Google will penalise your website if call-to-actions or forms unexpectedly shift as users click. Your CLS score should be under 0.1.

You can see how your website measures up in the ‘enhancements’ section of your Google Search Console account.

How to improve your Core Web Vitals

LCP

When it comes to LCP, if your score is over 2.5 seconds, it may be because you have a large website, or lots of high-res images on one page. In which case, you may want to consider removing some images. Some other helpful tips include:

• Removing any unnecessary third-party scripts

• Upgrading your website hosting

• Set up ‘lazy loading’ (images only load when someone scrolls to them)

FID

FID measures a user interacting with your page – for example this could be clicking on the menu, clicking on a link, entering their details into a form etc. Google prioritises this interaction because it shows how a user is interacting with your website.

You can improve your website’s FID score by:

• Minimising JavaScript

• Removing any unnecessary third-party scripts

• Use a browser cache

CLS

CLS is the visual stability of your page. If elements tend to move around as the page loads, this could mean you have a high CLS. Google are looking for a stable site where images and fields load consistently every time.

Here’s what you can do to minimise CLS:

• Use set dimensions for media on the page

• Add new UI elements below the fold

Why prioritise CWVs?

Google have announced that CWVs are becoming an official ranking factor. This, combined with mobile friendliness, security and of course having unique, relevant content are the components that will make a positive impact on your website’s placement in the rankings.

Google are ensuring that the websites at the top of their search results are providing a positive user experience. Website performance is becoming vital when it comes to SEO. If your website is high performance, it is ultimately gaining end-user satisfaction and bring you in more conversions.

At Fountain Digital, all our websites are built with Core Web Vitals in mind. Our websites are hosted on the fastest server in the world, powered by Amazon Web Services & Fastly AWS. This ensures that our websites have a 99.99% uptime and load incredibly quickly.

Our websites are rigorously tested to look excellent on all devices and ensure all assets on the page are sized according to best practices. This will only provide your website with further advantage when it comes to CWVs performance level.

By choosing Fountain Digital, you can be sure you are in safe hands! Leave it to us to design you a high performance, fully managed website that has the best possible chances of ranking well in Google. Get in touch to discuss your requirements with our team of experts.