Core Web Vitals
TL;DR
Core Web Vitals are Google's core performance metrics: loading (LCP), interactivity (INP) and visual stability (CLS).
Core Web Vitals (CWV) are measurable performance indicators Google has used as a ranking factor since 2021. The three core metrics measure what a real visitor experiences: how fast the largest element loads (LCP), how responsively the page reacts to input (INP), and whether the layout shifts during load (CLS).
Example
A news site has an LCP of 3.8s. After file optimisation, a CDN and async loading it drops to 1.9s. Within 8 weeks organic click-through rate rose 12%.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a good score?
LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1. Google labels this 'good'; anything lower is 'needs improvement' or 'poor'.
Related terms
Further reading
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