There has been a lot of talk lately about Googles new 'Core Web Vitals' which is due to start being factored into Googles search ranking algorithm as of next month (May 2021). So what is it? Is it important? and what does it mean for you and your website?

What is it?

Core Web Vitals is a set of technical website performance measurements that asses specific factors of your website related to the user experience. URLs will be tested and measured on the following three areas:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
  This measures the loading performance of a website - how long it takes to load the majority of the visual elements. Google states that this should occur in under 2.5 seconds.
• First Input Delay (FID)
  This value measures the interactivity of a page - how long it takes the page to react when a user interacts with it. Google states that this should be less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
  This measures a websites visual stability - how long it takes for elements to shift into their intended position as the page loads. Google states that this should be again less than 100 milliseconds.

So what on earth does all of this mean? Long and short of it, Google is focusing more on user experience to ensure it delivers the best search results. From next month it will be measuring the above metrics on your website and will be taking this into account when it ranks your website.

Is it important?

Well yes, it is important. However, this is just 1 of hundreds of factors that are taken into account in Googles search algorithm. Obviously we want to tick as many boxes as possible when it comes to the SEO of your website so ensuring your website is optimised to pass this Core Web Vitals test is certainly important. 

What does this mean for you?

Don't panic. If your website doesn't pass, it's not going to drop off the face of the world never to be found again. This is just one of hundreds of factors taken into account by Googles ranking algorithm. As mentioned before though, we want to ensure every element of your website is optimised to the fullest in order to achieve the best search ranking possible. This is just another item that needs to be added to the ongoing SEO list, and should be monitored and adjusted on an ongoing basis. 

If you want to see how your website performs, you can use Googles PageSpeed Insights tool. Simply type in your website URL and click on 'Analyse'.

If you have any questions or would like us to take a look at your website and ensure it passes the Core Web Vitals test just get in touch. We offer free initial consultations and would love to have a chat.