Core Web Vitals Are Ranking Factors
Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. Websites with good scores rank higher. This guide walks you through improving each metric.
Improving Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Target: under 2.5 seconds. Optimize the largest element on your page (usually a hero image). Compress it, convert to WebP, set explicit dimensions, and preload it. Reduce server response time by upgrading hosting or using a CDN. Eliminate render-blocking resources.
Improving First Input Delay (FID)
Target: under 100 milliseconds. Reduce JavaScript execution time through code splitting and minification. Defer non-critical JavaScript. Break up long tasks that block the main thread for more than 50 milliseconds.
Improving Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Target: under 0.1. Set explicit width and height on all images and videos. Reserve space for ads. Use font-display: swap for web fonts. Avoid dynamically injected content that pushes existing content down.
Priority Order
Tackle LCP first (biggest impact), then CLS (prevents annoying shifts), then FID (usually less problematic). Focus on the metric where you have the most room for improvement.