Core Web Vitals are Google's way of measuring real-world user experience. There are three, and each answers a simple question.
LCP — is it fast?
Largest Contentful Paint measures how long it takes for the biggest element (usually the hero image or headline) to appear. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
- Compress and properly size your hero image.
- Preload critical fonts and above-the-fold assets.
- Use a CDN and enable caching.
INP — is it responsive?
Interaction to Next Paint replaced FID in 2024. It measures how quickly your page responds when a user taps or clicks. Aim for under 200 milliseconds.
Heavy JavaScript is the usual culprit. Break up long tasks, defer non-critical scripts, and remove unused code.
CLS — does it stay still?
Cumulative Layout Shift measures unexpected movement as the page loads. Aim for under 0.1.
- Always set width and height on images and video.
- Reserve space for ads and embeds.
- Avoid inserting content above existing content.
How to measure them
Our Pro audit pulls Google PageSpeed data so you can see your field and lab scores for all three vitals in one report — no extra tools needed.
