What is Core Web Vitals?

The plain definition

Core Web Vitals are a set of measurements Google uses to describe the experience of using a page. They cover three things: how quickly the main content appears (Largest Contentful Paint), how quickly the page reacts when you tap or click (Interaction to Next Paint), and whether things jump around while loading (Cumulative Layout Shift).

An example

A customer opens your site on a phone. The headline appears quickly, but a banner then loads above it and pushes the Call button down, so the customer taps the wrong thing. That jump is a layout shift. A large uncompressed photo that holds up the main content is the other common cause of a slow first view.

Why it matters for a local business

Fast, steady pages are easier to use, and customers searching on a phone in a hurry do not wait. Page experience is one of many signals Google uses, not the deciding one, so treat speed as a way to keep the visitors you earn. Start with oversized images and unneeded scripts.

Check it for free

See where you stand with the free website speed test. If you would rather have it handled, our Websites service covers this as part of the monthly work.

Related terms

• Mobile-first indexing
• Crawling
• Organic traffic

Part of the SEO glossary. New to all this? Start with the beginner’s SEO guide.