The year 2021 has been a big year in terms of SEO. We saw many Google updates along with title tag rewrites. Another big release was the Page Experience Update, based on Google’s Core Web Vitals metrics. These metrics focus on the user experience by analysing a web page on the below signals:
- Largest Contentful Paint
- First Input Delay
- Cumulative Layout Shift
URLs that pass each of these signals are likely to rank better. However, Google has seemingly changed its impact and how many thresholds it ought to pass.
Core Web Vitals are here to stay
Although it didn’t receive a massive response, it doesn’t mean it will disappear quietly. Heading into 2022, we can expect Google to ramp up its importance. Or it will not be wrong to say that websites losing on these thresholds will have a poor ranking. It means that sites should start optimising pages for each Core Web Vitals signal to stay ahead. So, if you are searching for the best ways to optimise your website, now is the time to focus on Core Web Vitals.
Effective marketing requires reach and visibility, and there is no better option than ranking on SERPs for which Core Web Vitals is a must.
Understanding Each Core Web Vitals signal
Core Web Vitals prioritise user experience by measuring a site’s performance in three parts: interactivity (First Input Delay), visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift), and loading performance (Largest Contentful Paint). You don’t have to consider these factors for the mobile app development stack. Let’s get to know each of them briefly:
Cumulative Layout Shift
The maximum change to the layout of a page occurs within a five-second session.
First Input Delay
How long does it take from a user’s first click on an interactive element (such as a button or link) to when processing happens on that click.
Largest Contentful Paint
How long does it take the largest element to load on a page. The largest element may vary depending on the device being used.
Don’ts of optimising a site for Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals enhance a website for the user experience, but how SEOs go about it can do more harm than good. The metrics for Core Web Vitals are quite fragile, enabling them to pass easily even with substandard optimisations. Let’s take a scenario:
One way the LCP threshold can be passed is by enlarging the text. This metric measures the time to load the largest text on a screen—the quicker it loads, the better the metric. This tactic will not improve the user experience and even ruin the website’s appearance. So, this is a lousy optimisation practice.
Do’s of optimising a site for Core Web Vitals
You can enhance a website for each signal, and for that, you can consider the below options:
Cumulative Shift Layout
To enhance this threshold, you can use facades for slow-loading content. Facades hold the position for content that will appear once a page finish loading. Let’s say a site contain product images, so facades will hold their place during the loading process.
Largest Contentful Paint
Try dropping the large elements beneath the fold. It allows unstable elements, such as embedded content (ads, images, Tweets, etc.), to appear gradually as page loads. Doing this will improve this metric.
First Input Delay
Adding interactive elements can serve a purpose. If a page has an element that needs to be clicked before users can view a site, it will delay since the page is still loading in the background. One example of this is a cookie preferences overlay. You can also consider connecting to a pwa development company for more suggestions.
Pass Every Threshold
Core Web Vitals is here to stay. As we head into 2022, any site intending to rank needs to make sure they pass every threshold. Not doing so will cause a drop in rank, which no marketer wants. There is always a right way to optimise pages for Core Web Vitals. Once we do, we can make the SEO better for both user experience and ranking.
