In today’s digital-first world, website performance can make or break your success. Whether you’re a startup owner, an established business owner, or a student learning digital skills, understanding Core Web Vitals is crucial. These performance metrics determine how fast and user-friendly your website is, directly affecting user experience, conversions, and search rankings.
For businesses in India and Asia, where mobile internet usage is dominant, optimizing Core Web Vitals is even more critical. Slow-loading websites can drive users away, especially in regions with inconsistent internet speeds.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are three key performance metrics that measure how well a website loads, responds, and stays visually stable. These are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – This measures how long it takes for the most significant visible content (such as a banner image or text block) to load. This should ideally be less than 2.5 seconds.
- Example: Rajesh owns an online clothing store in Mumbai. If his homepage banner showcasing the latest festive collection takes too long to load, potential customers may leave before exploring his products.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – Replacing the older First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024, INP evaluates how quickly a website responds to user interactions, such as clicks or form submissions. A good INP score should be below 200 milliseconds.
- Example: Priya runs a food delivery app in Bangalore. If users experience delays while selecting their favorite dishes or checking out, they might switch to a competitor like Swiggy or Zomato.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – This metric checks how much elements move around while loading. Ever clicked a button, only for the page to shift and cause you to hit the wrong one? That’s a bad CLS! Your CLS score should be below 0.1.
- Example: Ankit, a tutor from Delhi, runs an online education platform. If his course videos or signup buttons shift unexpectedly while loading, students may find it frustrating and leave the site.
Why Should You Care About Core Web Vitals?
- For Startup Owners: A slow website can mean losing potential customers. Speedy websites enhance user trust and improve conversion rates.
- For Business Owners: Google ranks websites with good Core Web Vitals higher, meaning more visibility, more traffic, and ultimately, more sales.
- For Students & Developers: Learning how to optimize Core Web Vitals gives you an edge in web development and SEO, making you a valuable asset in the job market.
How to Improve Core Web Vitals
Optimizing Core Web Vitals requires both technical and strategic changes. Here’s what you can do:
1. Optimizing Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- Compress and use next-gen image formats (WebP, AVIF) to speed up loading times.
- Enable lazy loading to load images only when they appear on the screen.
- Reduce unnecessary CSS and JavaScript files that delay loading.
- Upgrade to a high-performance hosting provider or use a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
- Example: Many Indian startups, such as Flipkart and Nykaa, use CDNs like Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront to improve website loading speeds across regions.
2. Improving Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
- Reduce third-party scripts that slow down responsiveness.
- Use browser caching to store important resources for repeat visitors.
- Optimize JavaScript execution to avoid blocking the main thread.
- Implement fast event handling for user interactions.
- Example: Paytm ensures smooth digital transactions by optimizing its INP, allowing users to complete recharges, bill payments, and bookings without delays.
3. Fixing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
- Always include width and height attributes for images and videos to prevent shifting.
- Avoid unexpected ads or pop-ups that alter page layout.
- Use CSS aspect ratio boxes to ensure visual stability.
- Example: News websites like The Times of India and Hindustan Times focus on reducing CLS to ensure articles remain readable and ads don’t interfere with user experience.
Essential Tools to Measure Core Web Vitals
To keep track of your website’s performance, use these free tools:
- Google PageSpeed Insights – Gives a full performance report and actionable tips.
- Lighthouse – A browser-based tool that audits your site for speed, accessibility, and SEO.
- Google Search Console – Helps you track Core Web Vitals issues site-wide.
- Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) – Provides real-world loading performance data.
End note
Core Web Vitals are no longer optional—they are essential for success online. Whether you run a business, build websites, or learn digital marketing, optimizing LCP, INP, and CLS will improve your website’s user experience and help it rank higher on Google. By taking Core Web Vitals seriously, you gain a competitive advantage in the digital marketplace.
For business owners in India and Asia, investing in performance optimization can significantly increase mobile engagement and conversion rates, given the high mobile usage in these regions.
