SEO is always evolving. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on things—your keywords are tight, images optimized, backlinks flowing—Google’s long-standing Core Web Vitals come knocking, reminding you that speed, stability, and responsiveness matter. If you’re not treating them like a priority, you’re already falling behind. And don’t forget about Entity SEO, which can further boost your rankings by ensuring your content is relevant and authoritative in Google’s eyes.
If you’re sitting there thinking, “What the hell are Core Web Vitals, and why should I care?” let me break it down for you.
Core Web Vitals are basically Google’s way of making sure your website doesn’t suck for users. It’s not just about keywords anymore. Google now measures how fast your site loads, how stable it is while loading, and how responsive it is when people start clicking around. In short: it’s how user-friendly your site is—and that directly impacts your rankings.
So, if your website loads slower than your grandma’s dial-up or jumps like your mouse is broken, you’re not just losing users—you’re losing rankings.
In this guide, we’re going to show you how to fix those Core Web Vitals issues so you can speed up your site, improve user experience, and get Google to love you again.
Google doesn’t just want your site to look good—it wants it to act good. That’s where the Core Web Vitals come in. They focus on three main things: how fast your page loads, how quickly it reacts to clicks, and how stable it is while it’s loading.
Let’s break them down:
This is just a fancy way of saying: how long does the biggest thing on your page take to load? Whether it’s a giant image, video, or a big block of text, it better not take forever to show up.
Why does it matter?
Because nobody’s got time to wait for your homepage to load that giant hero image of your dog. If your site’s taking more than 2.5 seconds for that big content to show up, users are going to peace out faster than they hit “skip ad” on YouTube.
If you want users to stick around, make sure your largest content loads fast. Slow load times = high bounce rates = bad news for rankings.
INP measures how quickly your website reacts to clicks, taps, and other interactions. You know that annoying lag when you click a button and wait for something to happen? Yeah, Google hates that. It wants your site to be lightning fast when users interact with it.
Why does it matter?
Imagine someone clicks “Add to Cart” on your site, and the page just sits there, thinking about its life decisions. By the time the page loads, the user’s already found another site with faster response times—and probably cheaper shipping.
The faster your site reacts, the more likely users are to stick around and buy something or sign up for your newsletter. Slow response times? That’s just asking for trouble.
Ever been on a site where you’re about to click a button, but just before you do, the whole page shifts and you accidentally click something else? That’s a layout shift, and it’s the kind of thing that drives users nuts—and Google agrees.
Why does it matter?
A page that jumps around while loading isn’t just annoying—it can also cause serious misclicks, like accidentally subscribing to a newsletter you didn’t want or worse, buying something you didn’t intend to.
Keep your page rock steady as it loads. If things are bouncing around like your Wi-Fi just cut out, Google’s going to dock you points in the rankings.
Let’s get one thing straight: Google doesn’t care if your website looks like a Picasso or if it’s as ugly as the ‘90s internet. What it does care about is whether your site runs like a well-oiled machine. That’s where Core Web Vitals come into play. They’re Google’s way of figuring out if your website is a delight to use, or a digital nightmare.
Here’s the thing: Core Web Vitals are a ranking factor. That means if your site’s slow, unresponsive, or bouncing around like a toddler on sugar, Google is going to penalize you. You can have the most amazing content on the planet, but if your site doesn’t load in a hot second, you’re dropping in the rankings.
Google’s all about making the web a better place for users (because happy users = more searches = more Google ad revenue, right?). So if your site is slow to load, takes forever to respond, or jumps around while it’s loading, guess what? People are going to bail, and Google will take note of that.
Imagine landing on a page and it takes forever to load… are you going to wait? Nope, you’re going to bounce faster than a bad Tinder date. And when users bounce, Google’s algorithm sees that as a red flag and pushes your site down the rankings.
But when your site nails Core Web Vitals, users stick around longer, interact more, and maybe—just maybe—they’ll convert (whether that means a sale, a sign-up, or whatever your goal is). Better engagement = better SEO = more traffic. It’s a win-win, baby.
Let’s break it down even further. The Core Web Vitals metrics—LCP, INP, and CLS—are part of Google’s page experience ranking signals, which also include:
When you nail these page experience factors, especially Core Web Vitals, Google rewards you. You won’t just survive in the rankings—you’ll thrive. So if you’ve been neglecting your Core Web Vitals, consider this your wake-up call. It’s like the internet version of hitting the gym—you can’t just wing it. You need to put in the work to see the results.
Now, before you think Core Web Vitals are the magic bullet to #1 rankings, hold up. Yes, they’re important, but they’re part of a bigger picture. Google has hundreds of ranking factors, and Core Web Vitals are just one piece of the puzzle.
You still need to have:
But here’s the deal: Core Web Vitals can give you that edge. They might not catapult you to the top by themselves, but they’ll keep you from getting buried. If your site’s user experience sucks, all the keywords in the world won’t save you.
The takeaway? Fix your Core Web Vitals, improve your user experience, and you’ll start climbing the ranks. Don’t, and you might find yourself on page 10 of Google, where no one but bots and your grandma venture.
Now that you know Core Web Vitals are the keys to Google’s SEO heart, it’s time to figure out how your site is performing. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be a tech wizard to do this. Google’s given us a few tools to make it stupid simple. You just need to know where to look, and I’m about to show you.
The first stop on your Vitals journey is Google Search Console. If you don’t have this set up yet, do it now—seriously. It’s free, and it’s packed with data straight from Google about how your site is performing. Once you’re in, here’s what to do:
This is where you can spot problem areas on your site. If you’ve got a bunch of URLs marked as “Poor,” then congrats—you’ve got some work to do! But don’t sweat it; we’ll fix those soon enough.
If Google Search Console is like your high-level overview, then PageSpeed Insights is like your personal trainer that yells at you to pick up the pace. It’s Google’s tool for checking individual pages to see exactly what’s slowing them down.
Here’s how to use it:
The tool even gives you suggestions on how to speed things up, like optimizing images or reducing JavaScript. Consider these your to-do list for improving your Core Web Vitals.
If you’re a data junkie and want to go all in, then check out Semrush’s Site Audit tool. This isn’t just about Core Web Vitals—it’s a full diagnostic of your website’s health. It’ll tell you everything from broken links to Core Web Vitals issues.
Pro tip: If you’re using the free version of Semrush, you can audit up to 100 URLs. If your site’s bigger than that, you might want to look into their paid options.
If you want to know how real users experience your site (and not just how it performs in a test), then check out the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). This tool gives you data from actual Chrome users and tells you how they’re interacting with your site in the wild.
The best part? CrUX data comes from real people—not bots—so you get a realistic snapshot of your site’s performance.
If you’re a little more on the technical side, or you’ve got a developer on hand, then Lighthouse is your go-to tool. This is built right into the Chrome browser and gives you a full audit of your page performance, including Core Web Vitals.
Alright, now that you’ve scanned your site and probably discovered that you’re not as fast as you thought (ouch), it’s time to fix that. The good news? You don’t need a PhD in computer science to improve your Core Web Vitals. You just need a plan—and I’ve got your back with one.
Let’s take this one vital at a time.
LCP is all about how fast the biggest element on your page loads. The slower it loads, the more time your users have to rethink their life choices—and whether they want to stick around on your site. So, let’s fix that.
Steps to Improve LCP:
INP is about how fast your site responds when users interact with it—like when they click a button or tap a menu. If there’s a noticeable lag, users are going to bounce. So, let’s tighten that up.
Steps to Improve INP:
If your page jumps around like a drunk guy on a pogo stick, your CLS score is probably a mess. Let’s stabilize that page and make sure things stay where they’re supposed to be.
Steps to Improve CLS:
Alright, now you know how to fix your Core Web Vitals. But here’s the deal: you can’t fix everything at once. Trying to do that is like attempting to eat a pizza in one bite—it’s just not happening, and you’ll probably choke. So let’s prioritize and start with the fixes that’ll make the biggest impact on your SEO and user experience.
If you want quick wins, go after the easy fixes first. These are the things that can give you an instant boost in your Core Web Vitals scores without a ton of effort. Think of these like the microwavable meals of website fixes—fast and satisfying.
Not all websites are built the same. If you’ve got a blog, you’ll have different priorities than someone running an e-commerce store. The key is to focus on the Core Web Vital that’s most important for your site’s goals.
Sometimes the data will make your decision for you. If your Google Search Console or Semrush Site Audit is screaming that a specific issue is affecting 90% of your pages, well, that’s where you start.
Here’s how to use the data to guide your priorities:
If fixing every page on your site sounds overwhelming, focus on the most important pages first. You know, the ones that actually get traffic and are critical to your business. No point in optimizing a forgotten page from 2013.
Here’s where to focus:
Look, you’re never going to get a perfect score on all three Core Web Vitals for every single page, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t to reach perfection—the goal is to improve.
Focus on making meaningful progress and aim for “Good” status in Google’s eyes. Get each metric into the green zone (LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200ms, and CLS under 0.1), and you’ll be in great shape.
Now that you know how to prioritize your fixes, you’re ready to start tackling your Core Web Vitals like a pro. It’s not about fixing everything all at once, it’s about making steady improvements where it matters most.
By now, you’re probably fired up and ready to tackle your site’s Core Web Vitals. But let’s be real—you need the right tools to make it happen. You wouldn’t try to fix a car with a butter knife, right? Same goes for improving your Core Web Vitals—you need the SEO equivalent of a wrench, hammer, and maybe even some duct tape.
Here are the best tools you can use to measure, monitor, and improve your Core Web Vitals like a pro.
Think of Google Search Console as your home base. It’s where you can see the big picture of how your site is performing in search and how your Core Web Vitals are stacking up.
When you want to get down and dirty with your site’s performance, PageSpeed Insights is the tool you need. It provides real-time data on how well a specific page performs on both desktop and mobile.
Lighthouse is like the Swiss Army knife of performance tools. It’s built right into Google Chrome, and it can run a full SEO audit of your site, giving you insights into performance, accessibility, best practices, and Core Web Vitals.
When you want to see how real users experience your site (instead of just relying on simulated tests), CrUX is where it’s at. This tool taps into data from actual Chrome users and tells you how your site performs in the wild.
For those who want to get serious about their SEO game, Semrush Site Audit is a powerhouse. It doesn’t just stop at Core Web Vitals—it audits everything on your site and spits out a detailed report on what’s working and what needs fixing.
This little tool is a game-changer when it comes to image compression. If you’re struggling with LCP because your site is choked with high-res images, TinyPNG can save you.
If you’re looking for nerd-level details about your page’s performance, WebPageTest is the tool to use. It breaks down everything, from Core Web Vitals to waterfall charts, to show exactly what’s loading and how long it’s taking.
If you’re a fan of data porn, then GTmetrix is going to be your new favorite tool. It gives you an in-depth look at your site’s performance with clear visuals that show how well your site loads.
Alright, let’s get real for a second: if you’re not thinking about Core Web Vitals, you’re missing the boat. In the ever-evolving world of SEO, Core Web Vitals have gone from a “nice to have” to a must-have. It’s like showing up to a fight with nothing but a butter knife—you won’t stand a chance if your site’s slow, unresponsive, and glitchy.
Here’s the deal: Google’s not playing around anymore. They want the web to be fast, smooth, and user-friendly—and Core Web Vitals are their way of making sure everyone plays along. If you’re not giving users a solid experience, Google will knock you down the rankings faster than you can say “bounce rate.”
Google has made it clear that sites that nail their Core Web Vitals are more likely to see a boost in rankings. Sure, it’s not the only ranking factor, but it’s becoming a bigger piece of the puzzle. If your content is solid, but your site is slow as molasses, don’t be surprised when your rankings tank.
Think about it: faster pages = happier users = better engagement metrics. And Google loves engagement metrics. Lower bounce rates, longer session durations, more page views—they all make you look good to the big G.
Let’s be honest—nobody has time for a slow site in 2024. If your page takes more than 3 seconds to load, your visitors are already reaching for the back button. And don’t get me started on unresponsive pages where nothing happens when you click a button. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Fixing your Core Web Vitals means giving your users the kind of seamless experience they expect. It’s all about speed, responsiveness, and stability. If you can deliver that, you’ll have users sticking around longer, clicking more, and—here’s the kicker—converting more.
Core Web Vitals aren’t going anywhere. If anything, Google is just getting started. By making them a core part of your SEO strategy, you’re future-proofing your site. The web’s only going to get faster, and if you’re lagging behind now, you’re going to get left in the dust when the next algorithm update hits.
It’s like paying into SEO insurance. Sure, it’s a bit of work now, but you’ll thank yourself when the next wave of competitors are scrambling to catch up because their sites are stuck in 2009, loading like dial-up.
Look, you could sit around and wait for Google to punish your rankings, or you could take action today. You’ve got the tools, the know-how, and the plan to improve your Core Web Vitals—now it’s time to get it done.
Start small—fix your images, compress your media, and cut the extra scripts that are slowing you down. Then, move on to bigger fixes like optimizing your JavaScript and improving responsiveness. With each step, you’re moving closer to a better, faster, higher-ranking site.
You’ve got the full lowdown on Core Web Vitals: what they are, why they matter, how to fix them, and the tools you need to crush it. Google’s watching, so make sure you’re giving your users the experience they deserve. Fast pages, stable content, and snappy interactions.
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