Updated October 2026
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are three metrics Google uses to measure real-world page experience: Largest Contentful Paint (loading), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness) and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). They are measured from real Chrome users and form part of Google's page experience signals.
What are the Core Web Vitals thresholds?
| Metric | Measures | Good | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | How quickly the main content appears | 2.5 s or less | Over 4 s |
| Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | How quickly the page responds to taps and clicks | 200 ms or less | Over 500 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | How much content jumps while loading | 0.1 or less | Over 0.25 |
A page passes when at least 75% of real visits meet the "good" threshold for all three. INP replaced First Input Delay as a Core Web Vital in March 2024.
How do you check your Core Web Vitals?
Check Core Web Vitals in the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console, which groups your URLs by status, or test a single page with PageSpeed Insights. Field data (from real users) is what Google uses; lab data (from a test run) helps diagnose causes.
How do you improve LCP?
Improve LCP by making the largest element on the page, usually a hero image or heading, load sooner:
- Compress images and serve WebP or AVIF at the right size
- Do not lazy-load the hero image; preload it instead
- Reduce server response time with caching or a CDN
- Remove render-blocking CSS, fonts and scripts
How do you improve INP?
Improve INP by reducing the JavaScript that runs when visitors interact: remove unused plugins and third-party scripts, break up long tasks, and avoid heavy chat widgets, pop-ups and trackers that load on every page.
How do you improve CLS?
Improve CLS by reserving space for anything that loads late: set width and height on images and embeds, reserve space for banners and ads, and load web fonts so they do not reflow text.
How much do Core Web Vitals affect rankings?
Core Web Vitals have a modest direct effect on rankings, mostly as a tiebreaker between similarly relevant pages. Their bigger effect is on conversions, because slow, jumpy pages lose visitors before they call.
We fix Core Web Vitals as part of technical SEO.