5 Ways to Improve Your Core Web Vitals
The name Core Web Vitals is not hyperbolic. These factors really are a core part of a well-functioning website and vital for improving SEO and rankings. However, many website owners overlook these fundamentals, and their sites can suffer for it. Visitors bounce before pages can load or click off when faced with unstable content. So, with that in mind, let’s look at the 3 Core Web Vitals metrics and 5 ways to improve them for SEO.
1) Fix Issues With FID Metrics By Reducing JavaScript Execution.
FID means First Input Delay. This is the response time when users first interact with a page. The measurement tracks how long it takes for the website to complete the request and give them what they need. This should be pretty instantaneous, with anything more than 300ms deemed undesirable. However, JavaScript executions can mess that up for us.
There is a good chance you have unused JavaScript sitting on your site slowing things down. Inspect your site for a clearer idea of how much is going spare. From there, you can work on decreasing it and deferring loading. You can cut this down with code splitting and potentially save some valuable time.
2) Utilize As Many Tools As Possible To Decrease Loading Speeds.
Working on JavaScript execution is important, but it isn’t enough on its own if you want to really overhaul your site. There are other ways you can decrease loading speeds and improve your FID. Another great option is to bring in a caching solution. Caches store static versions of a webpage, so decreases the need for repeated loading. In turn, this reduces demand and shortens loading times. Look out for plug-in and sever-level tools linked to your current hosting package.
If you don’t want to use caching, you could also try a Content Delivery Network instead. This makes use of a network of servers across the world, storing content in multiple places. Visitors get responses from local servers to speed up loading times a little more.
Another option is to work on your main CSS file and reconfigure it to load “above the fold content” as a priority. This means any elements you want to appear before others, allowing the crucial content to become visible much faster. This is also helpful when dealing with the next of the three metrics.
3) Improve LCP Metrics By Compressing Images.
The next metric to consider has the awkward name of Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP for short. Basically, this metric measures how well the largest elements of your website load. Anything slower than 2.5 seconds needs improvement, and anything slower than 4 seconds is poor. You need these to be primed and ready for consumption ASAP to stop visitors from bouncing. You can’t promise a great video only for it to take ages to load or have high-end images that come up as blank spaces. People don’t have the time for it.
One of the easiest fixes here is to make some simple adjustments to your images so they load faster. This means visitors are greeted with attractive and engaging content that amplifies a product line or brand message. Compressing images and focusing on jpegs can decrease their size and loading speed without compromising on quality. On top of this, you can try implementing lazy loading to help images load as users reach them, allowing for a smoother and visually appealing experience.
4) Handle Visual Stability CLS Issues By Tweaking Content.
The third and final metric is CLS or Cumulative Layout Shift. This tracks the visual stability of a page, which essentially means that content needs to be stable and remain in place once it loads. Instability can be off-putting for visitors, who may not trust the site to hold up and therefore leave to try someone else.
Surprisingly, this can all go away with some simple adjustments to the dimensions of your media. Videos and large images shift when the size doesn’t know how to accommodate them properly. Improperly sized images may shift down the page, while videos end up way too big and intrusive. Go over the dimensions of your embedded media, correct them, and see if it makes a difference.
Another simple hack here that can make a big difference is to change the font. You might not have considered the font as anything more than an aesthetic tool or a way to improve readability. However, different options have different effects on website performance. The browser needs to recognize the font and its size before loading it correctly and in the right place. Recognition issues can lead to a shift in fonts that completely change the page layout for a moment. Keep it simple and consistent to avoid any problems.
5) Improve Loading Times With A Faster Server.
Whether you want to improve your FID and initial response rates or the loading times of your images, it helps to have a faster server in place. Your server does a lot of heavy lifting in the background. But the more weight you pile onto it, the slower it gets. As your website develops with more common SEO tools, such as long-form blog content, better images, and improved navigation, your server struggles to handle all the files and requests. Any hesitation could be costly when trying to retain visitors.
You might need to bite the bullet here and upgrade your hosting plan. It could cost more in terms of fees to have a better package. But, you might get that back through increased traffic and conversions. Also, don’t forget to upgrade what you have, as outdated models can be costly.
Work On These Three Core Web Vitals Metrics To Improve SEO.
To summarize, it is all about improving loading speeds, making sure important content loads with ease, and increasing the stability of the page. If you can make these simple adjustments across the board, you should find that pages are smoother, more visually appealing, and more engaging for visitors. They will want to stick around and make the most of their time on your website, and that’s what this is all about.