Is your website ready for this?

Google’s core vitals.

Sitting here wondering what I could write in my first blog post. I want it to be helpful … and interesting AND current so, I decided to talk about Google’s Core Web Vitals Update which will be in effect on 31st August 2021. You can learn more about it here

What is it? You may well ask. It’s one of the biggest changes Google has made this year to do with how it ranks your website pages.

Announced in 2020, Google offered up a set of metrics with excellent usability in mind which measure the user experience and grade it accordingly.

Aimed at achieving a seamless experience for the user, the metrics comprise of 3 major areas:

1. Content loading speed – Largest contentful paint (LCP)

This refers to the average time it takes for the main content on the page to become visible.

To meet standards, it is expected to load within 2.5s

You have much more chance of holding on to your user/customer/prospective client if they can access what they need quickly.

2. Interactivity– First Input Delay (FID)

This refers to the time it takes from when a user does something on the page (e.g., clicking a link or entering a keystroke etc.) to the time the webpage completes the requested action.

Less than 100ms is optimal more than 300ms is unacceptable by Google standards, and by the users’ standards as well no doubt. Nothing worse than waiting for something to happen on a website.

3. Visual stability– Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

This measures whether your page is stable.

Ever started to read something and suddenly the whole section of text shifts and you lose your place… or you click the wrong thing because of a page shift just as you clicked on the link? A stable page enhances usability no end… and makes me want to stay.