The landscape of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is ever-changing. Google is constantly updating its algorithm so that no one cheats the system. 

The best way to ensure your website ranks well on Google is to stay on top of the news and updates in the field. One particular update Google is implementing in June 2021 is Core Web Vitals (CWV). 

What Are Core Web Vitals (CWV)?

CWV is a set of ranking factors Google will be using to measure website performance. It has three components: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

LCP has to do with a page’s loading speed. The standard loading time Google has set is 2.5 seconds. 

FID, on the other hand, measures the time it takes for a user to interact with the page. This includes how quickly a user can move between pages of a website. Google has set the standard for this component to be 100 milliseconds.

Lastly, we have the CLS. CLS basically measures the layout shifts in a page when a user is interacting with it.

Why Is a High CWV Score Important?

A website’s goal is to rank high on Google’s pages. Having a high organic ranking helps promote your website and allows users to find it easily.

Keeping up with updates, such as CWV, can help your website’s ranking. A high CWV score will boost your ranking and improve your site’s user experience. 

Google doesn’t just keep rolling out updates to give other websites a fair chance. Through these updates, Google tries to encourage companies to make their websites more user-friendly. Google looks at not just your content but the experience you provide your users. 

These updates might be a pain at first, but it’s not just there to help the users. Businesses can benefit from it as well. Constantly improving your website could increase sales by generating higher traffic. 

How to Improve Your Website’s CWV Score

So, how do you know if your website is scoring well in terms of CWV? Well, you’ll find your CWVs in the Google Search Console. Google actually does a lot of the work for you. It’ll tell you if you need to improve and even point out which particular pages are not performing that well. And if you look at the Page Speed Insights section, you can find information on improving your score. Getting the Chrome Lighthouse Extension could also come in handy since it’ll allow you to monitor and amend your pages in real-time.

While Google might help you figure out which parts you need to improve, there’s still the question of how. So, here are some ways you can improve your CWV score.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

The standard for LCP is 2.5 seconds, and it should not go beyond 4 seconds. To help improve a low LCP score, there are a couple of things you can do. You can compress and resize images that are too big. The web host might also be a factor, so make sure your web host can provide you with a quick loading speed. If you have unnecessary javascript, this could also be a cause for a slow loading speed.

First Input Delay (FID)

FID measures the time it takes users to interact with your page. You can improve your score by utilising web workers to ensure the main thread is less cluttered, breaking up code into smaller tasks, and generating content server-side.



Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS deals with a page’s stability. Moving elements during loading is an indication of a poor CLS score. When improving CLS, make sure to make it mobile-friendly since Google encourages that.

To improve your CLS score, you can ask your ad partners to specify their dimensions, check if any animation is loading after page rendering and decide how much screen space you’re going to give your biggest media elements.



In a Nutshell

Keeping up to date with the latest search engine updates can help you rank higher. Always have your users in mind when building and improving your site, and Google will reward you for that. To ensure that you’re adhering to Google’s latest update, work with a trusted digital marketing agency that can do just that.

For more assistance in creating an effective SEO strategy, trust Minotaur Development to help increase your website’s traffic. We are a digital marketing agency that helps businesses in West Sussex, UK attract more customers through web design, SEO and social media management. Contact us today to get started!