Since June 2021, Google has been using Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor for both mobile and desktop. To appear in Top Stories or improve your SEO, your website needs to pass all Core Web Vitals metrics, making them essential for better search visibility.
Core Web Vitals are three key metrics that show how fast, smooth, and stable your website feels to users.
They’re part of Google’s page experience signals, which means improving them can help your site rank higher and keep visitors happy.
Here are the three Core Web Vitals metrics:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): How fast the most significant part of your page loads. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint): How quickly your site reacts to clicks or taps. Keep it under 200ms.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): How much stuff jumps around as the page loads. Stay below 0.1.
Core Web Vitals Benchmarks
| Metric | Good | Need Improvement | Poor |
| LCP | ≤ 2.5s | 2.5s–4.0s | > 4.0s |
| INP | ≤ 2.5s | 2.5s–4.0s | > 4.0s |
| CLS | ≤ 0.1 | 0.1–0.25 | > 0.25 |
Test Core Web Vitals the Right Way
There are several reliable tools you can use to test your Core Web Vitals, even if you’re not a developer. These tools demonstrate how real users interact with your website, helping you identify areas that require improvement.
- Use PageSpeed Insights (The Simplest Way)
Go to PageSpeed Insights, paste your URL, and hit “Analyze“.
You’ll see your Core Web Vitals Assessment right at the top. If all three metrics pass, it’ll show a green “Passed” label. You’ll also get detailed scores for:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – should be ≤ 2.5s
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint) – should be ≤ 200ms
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – should be ≤ 0.1
Scroll down to the “Diagnostics” section to see detailed suggestions for improving your website’s speed and performance.
👉 Bonus Tip: If you’re testing your homepage, click the “Origin” tab to see how your entire domain performs, not just one page.
- Use Real-User Data with CrUX Dashboard
The Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) shows how actual users experience your site. You can set up a free dashboard in Looker Studio using CrUX data.
It’s more advanced, but it gives field data at scale, which is what Google uses for rankings.
Once you’re inside the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console, you’ll get a clear summary of how your pages perform, separately for mobile and desktop.
You can dig deeper by selecting any individual metric (like LCP, INP, or CLS) from the left-hand sidebar. This opens a detailed timeline showing how your site’s performance has changed over time, ideal for spotting when things improved or got worse.
Want to focus only on mobile or desktop?
Use the “Device” filter in the top-right corner to view reports by device type.
- Use Google Search Console
Go to your Google Search Console and open the Core Web Vitals report. You’ll see:
- How many pages pass or fail the Core Web Vitals
- Which specific URLs need improvements
- Trends over time, based on real Chrome user data
It’s one of the easiest ways to find and fix performance issues across your website.
💡Tip: Some hosting providers, such as SiteGround, Cloudways, and WP Engine, offer built-in performance dashboards that make it easy to monitor Core Web Vitals and other key speed metrics.
These tools often include direct integration with Google PageSpeed Insights, making testing and fixing issues even faster.
Core Web Vitals Ideal Fixes – A Quick Snapshot
| Metric | Fix Methods |
| LCP | Caching, image optimization, CDN, preload, fast hosting |
| INP | Minify JS, delay scripts, reduce plugins, use lightweight themes |
| CLS | Fixed media dimensions, font preloading, avoid content jumps |
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – Page Loading Performance
Goal: LCP should be under 2.5 seconds
LCP measures how quickly the largest visible content, usually your hero section image or headline, appears on the screen.
A low LCP score can make your site feel slow, leading to high bounce rates and a poor user experience. It’s typically caused by large images, unoptimized CSS/JS, and sluggish hosting.
To Fix:
- Choose fast WordPress hosting (SiteGround, Cloudways, Rocket.net)
- Regularly clear your cache, or if you’re using WordPress, use caching plugins like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache to automate this process.
- Compress and convert images to WebP using tools like ShortPixel or Imagify
- Enable lazy loading for below-the-fold images
- Preload fonts and hero images to reduce delay
- Minify and combine CSS/JS files to minimize blocking
- Use a CDN (Cloudflare, BunnyCDN) to deliver static files faster
- Defer or delay non-critical JavaScript execution
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint) – Site Responsiveness
Goal: INP should be under 200 milliseconds
INP measures how quickly your website responds to user interactions like clicks and taps.
A high INP score means users experience lag, delays, or unresponsive elements. The main causes are excessive JavaScript, heavy plugins, and third-party scripts.
To Fix:
- Minimize and defer JavaScript execution
- Break long JavaScript tasks into smaller chunks
- Delay third-party scripts (e.g., chat, social embeds) using Flying Scripts or WP Rocket
- Use lightweight themes like Astra, GeneratePress, or Blocksy
- Audit and remove heavy or unused plugins
- Use tools like Query Monitor to identify plugin bottlenecks
- Keep WordPress, plugins, and PHP updated (PHP 8.0+ recommended)
- Lazy load iframes and embeds (e.g., YouTube, Google Maps)
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – Visual Stability
Goal: CLS should be under 0.1
CLS tracks how much your page content unexpectedly shifts during load. Poor CLS leads to a frustrating user experience, buttons move, ads pop in, and users click the wrong element.
To Fix:
- Always define width and height for images, videos, ads, and iframes
- Preload fonts and use font-display: swap to avoid invisible text flashes
- Reserve space for dynamic content like ads and banners using CSS
- Avoid inserting elements above existing content during load
- Inline critical CSS for above-the-fold content
- Host Google Fonts locally using plugins like OMGF
- Limit font weights/styles to prevent excessive layout changes
FAQs
Can a page pass Core Web Vitals but still feel slow?
Yes, a page can technically “pass” all three metrics but still feel sluggish due to issues like unoptimized above-the-fold content, excessive animations, or bloated designs. Core Web Vitals are significant indicators, but not the whole picture.
How long does it take for Core Web Vitals changes to reflect in Google Search Console?
It typically takes 28 days or more for Google to update Core Web Vitals data in Search Console because it’s based on real user data (field data) from Chrome users.
So even if you fix an issue today, you might not see “green” in your Core Web Vitals report until enough users visit the updated version of your site.
Wind Up:
Core Web Vitals may sound technical, but they’re all about creating a faster, smoother experience for your visitors. Each fix you make improves both usability and search rankings.