Core Web Vitals
Google's three measures of how a page feels to real visitors: loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS).
Core Web Vitals are three measurements Google uses to describe how a web page feels to real people:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): how quickly the main content appears.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): how quickly the page responds when someone taps or clicks.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): how much the page jumps around while loading.
According to web.dev, good scores are an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, an INP of 200 milliseconds or less, and a CLS of 0.1 or less, measured for most visits.
Why it matters to a small business
Slow, jumpy pages frustrate visitors, especially on phones, and frustrated visitors leave before calling or filling in a form. Core Web Vitals are also part of the page experience signals Google considers, alongside much more important factors like helpful content.
You can see your real-visitor results in Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights, if your site has enough traffic.
Example
A home services company’s pages pass INP and CLS but fail LCP on mobile. The main banner photo is 4 MB. After resizing and compressing it and serving it in a modern format, LCP drops into the good range.
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