Google has been pushing hard to improve the experience of the web for users. In the past they’ve pushed for HTTPS everywhere and mobile optimization schemes like AMP pages, but their most recent change may have the largest effect on how every day users use the web, and how website owners approach their websites. This push is to start including three metrics, called Core Web Vitals, in the equation that determines a website’s page ranking on Google search results. These changes were made this month (May 2021) and websites that perform poorly on these metrics will find their page rankings suffering as a direct result.
The Metrics
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – The amount of time it takes to fully render the largest content element visible in the viewport, from the time the user requests the URL. This metric measures how quickly your website responds and indicates to a user that the website is loading.
This is the metric that is likely going to have the largest immediate effect on user experience. Ideally, LCP should happen in less than 2.5 seconds. Use statistics show us that if it takes longer than this you start to lose users who are impatient, so improving t