What are Core Web Vitals?

In the world of SEO and web design, there are several factors that influence the user experience and the performance of a website. One of the last elements that has gained great importance are Web Core Vitals, a set of essential metrics that measure user experience and site performance. Web Core Vitals are a set of three performance metrics that focus on the user experience on a website.

These metrics are:

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint):

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) is a metric used to measure the loading speed performance of a web page. It refers to the time it takes for the largest and most significant visual element on the page to load, such as an image, block of text, or video. This “painted” element is crucial because it's the first thing users see when they visit a page and it directly affects their initial perception of site speed.

An optimal LCP is one that occurs less than 2.5 seconds after the page loads. If the largest element on the page takes too long to load, users may perceive that the site is slow and may even leave it before the page has fully loaded.

To improve the LCP of a web page, it is important to optimize the size and compression of images and other visual elements, as well as to prioritize visible content so that it loads quickly. This may involve techniques such as lazy loading of images and code optimization to speed up load times.

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‍FID (First Input Delay):

FID (First Input Delay) is a metric that measures the responsiveness of a website. It refers to the time that elapses from when a user first interacts with the page (for example, clicking on a button or link) until the browser responds to that interaction. In other words, it measures the delay a user experiences between the time they attempt to interact with the page and the time the page actually responds to that interaction.

The FID is an important metric because it reflects a website's ability to process user interaction quickly and efficiently. An optimal FID is one that is less than 100 milliseconds. When the FID is high, users may experience a sense of slowness or delay in responding to the site, which can negatively affect their experience and their perception of the quality of the site.

To improve the FID of a website, it is essential to optimize code performance and minimize any blockage or delay in the execution of scripts. This may involve techniques such as asynchronously loading scripts, removing unnecessary scripts, or optimizing the execution of existing scripts.

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift):

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) is a metric that measures the visual stability of a website. It refers to the amount of unexpected changes in the page layout while loading. These changes can occur when page elements, such as images, text, or buttons, move unexpectedly because they load late or are dynamically resized.

The CLS is calculated by multiplying the change in position of each element on the page by the visible size of the viewport, and then adding these values together to obtain a cumulative score. A low CLS is essential for a good user experience and is considered optimal when it is lower than 0.1.

Unexpected changes to page design can be frustrating for users, as they can cause accidental clicks on incorrect elements or cause them to lose the context of the page. For example, if a user is about to click on a link and suddenly an ad loads and moves the content, they could click on the ad instead, resulting in a negative user experience.

To improve the CLS of a website, it is important to avoid unexpected resizing of elements and to ensure that the elements on the page have correctly defined dimensions. This may involve techniques such as specifying widths and heights for images and videos, reserving space for dynamic content, and avoiding the insertion of advertisements or third-party elements that may cause unexpected changes to the page design.

Why are Web Core Vitals important?

Web Core Vitals are important because they are directly related to the user experience. Google has always prioritized user satisfaction in its search algorithms, and now more than ever, website performance plays a crucial role in ranking search results. Websites that offer a smooth and fast experience tend to rank better on Google, which in turn can increase traffic and conversions.

Web Core Vitals are important for several key reasons:

Improved User Experience:

Web Core Vitals are designed to measure critical aspects of the user experience, such as loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability. By optimizing these aspects, the overall user experience on a website is significantly improved, which can lead to greater user satisfaction, retention and loyalty.

Impact on Search Engine Positioning:

Google has officially announced that Web Core Vitals are important factors in its search algorithm. This means that a website's performance on these metrics can influence its ranking in search results. A website that offers a superior user experience, according to Web Core Vitals, tends to rank better in search results, which can increase its visibility and organic traffic.

Reducing User Abandonment:

Websites that load slowly or have poor responsiveness can experience high user abandonment rates. Web Core Vitals help identify and address performance issues that can cause this abandonment, which in turn can increase user retention and conversions.

Competitiveness in the Market:

In an increasingly competitive online market, offering a superior user experience is essential to stand out from the crowd. Websites that optimize their Web Core Vitals have a competitive advantage by providing a faster, smoother, and more enjoyable experience for their users compared to those that don't.

How to Improve Web Core Vitals:

To improve Web Core Vitals and optimize the performance of a website, here are some practical strategies:

1. Image and Multimedia Optimization:

• Compress and optimize images to reduce their size without sacrificing quality.
• It uses suitable image formats such as JPEG for photos and PNG for transparent graphics.
• It implements the lazy loading technique to load images only when they become visible in the user's graphic window.
• It minimizes the use of heavy videos and animations, and uses efficient codecs for playback.

2. Optimizing the Code and Resources:

• Minimizes and combines CSS and JavaScript files to reduce browser processing time.
• It uses caching techniques so that resources can be loaded more quickly on subsequent visits.
• Eliminate unnecessary scripts, plugins, and resources that may slow down page loading.

3. Prioritization of Critical Content:

• It prioritizes the loading of critical and visible content for the user, such as main text and action buttons.
• Use the HTML “loading” attribute to specify the loading priority for elements such as images and iframes.
• Avoid blocking the loading of critical content with third-party scripts and resources.

4. Server and Network Optimization:

• It uses high-quality web hosting services and servers with good responsiveness.
• It implements GZIP compression to reduce the size of resources transferred between the server and the user's browser.
• It uses a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute static content and improve load times in different geographical locations.

5. Testing and Continuous Monitoring:

• Use tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse and WebPageTest to regularly evaluate site performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Perform performance tests on different devices and connection speeds to ensure a consistent experience for all users.
• It continuously monitors Web Core Vitals and other performance metrics to detect problems and make adjustments as needed.

In conclusion, Web Core Vitals are not only technical metrics, but they are also key indicators of the user experience and the overall performance of a website. By understanding the importance of these metrics and following strategies to improve them, website owners can offer a superior experience to their users, improve their search engine rankings and stand out in an increasingly competitive online market.

Let's remember that online success isn't just about attracting visitors, but about providing them with an exceptional experience that keeps them engaged and satisfied. With a focus on optimizing Web Core Vitals, we can ensure that our websites meet user expectations and stand out in today's digital landscape.