Core Web Vitals are an important set of metrics that measure key aspects of user experience on websites. Optimizing for Core Web Vitals can lead to better rankings in search results, increased user engagement, and lower bounce rates.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explain what Core Web Vitals are, why they are important for WordPress sites, and provide actionable tips to improve your scores.
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What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of three metrics developed by Google to quantify key aspects of user experience:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures loading performance. Specifically, how long it takes for the largest content element to load.
- First Input Delay (FID) – Quantifies interactivity. Measures the time from when a user first interacts with a page (i.e. clicking a link) to the time when the browser is actually able to respond to that interaction.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Quantifies visual stability. Measures thecumulative shift score of all unexpected layout shifts that occur during the entire lifespan of a page.
Google has included these metrics as part of their search ranking factors. This means sites that score well on Core Web Vitals will be rewarded with better search rankings.
The optimal targets for Core Web Vitals set by Google are:
- LCP – Less than 2.5 seconds
- FID – Less than 100 milliseconds
- CLS – Less than 0.1
Why Are Core Web Vitals Important for WordPress Sites?
Optimizing for Core Web Vitals is critical for WordPress sites for several reasons:
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Better user experience – Fast load times, quick interactivity, and visual stability are key to providing an excellent user experience. Users are less likely to bounce from sites meeting the Core Vitals benchmarks.
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Higher conversions – Research shows a direct correlation between improved Core Web Vitals and higher conversion rates. For ecommerce sites, this can directly impact revenue and growth.
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Improved SEO – As mentioned above, Core Web Vitals are now a ranking factor for Google. Sites measuring up well against these metrics will see gradual improvements in their search rankings.
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Lower bounce rate – When pages load fast, respond quickly, and don‘t shift unexpectedly, visitors are less likely to leave your site right away. This improves bounce rate.
Clearly, having strong Core Vitals scores can benefit WordPress sites tremendously. Next, let‘s look at some tips to optimize them.
Tips to Improve Core Web Vitals in WordPress
Here are some actionable recommendations to improve your WordPress site‘s Core Web Vitals scores:
Choose a Fast Web Host
Your web hosting provider plays a huge role in site speed and performance. Make sure to choose a hosting service optimized specifically for WordPress. Some good options are SiteGround, WP Engine, and Kinsta.
Also, opt for a plan that gives you plenty of resources like SSD storage, adequate RAM, and multiple CPU cores. Avoid cheap low-quality hosting.
Cache Your Site With a Plugin
Caching stores rendered pages so they can be served faster to repeat visitors. This dramatically improves page load times.
Some caching plugins to try are WP Rocket, WP Fastest Cache, and LiteSpeed Cache. Configure settings like cache preloading for maximum impact.
Optimize Your Images
Large, unoptimized images are often the culprit for poor LCP scores. Use a plugin like EWWW Image Optimizer to compress images and convert formats to more lightweight ones like WebP.
Also, make sure to resize images properly before uploading them to your site. Don‘t use gigantic 10MB images for the web.
Minimize Render-Blocking Resources
Resources like JavaScript and CSS files can block other page elements from loading if not handled properly.
Try deferring non-critical JS and CSS. Also, minimize third-party embeds and combine similar code using a plugin like Autoptimize.
Add Image Dimensions
Missing height and width attributes on images cause layout shifts as they load. WordPress adds these attributes automatically but double check that they are present by inspecting your images.
Improve Server Response Times
Faster server response times reduce First Input Delay. Work with your host to identify and resolve slow underlying back-end issues affecting interactivity.
Monitor Core Vitals
Use Google PageSpeed Insights and Search Console to monitor your scores. Fix issues on pages with the lowest scores first.
Ask Your Developers For Help
If you‘ve tried everything and are still not seeing improvements, don‘t hesitate to ask your developers for assistance. There are many technical optimizations they can implement.
Conclusion
Optimizing for Core Web Vitals should be a top priority for all WordPress site owners. By following the tips outlined in this guide, you can dramatically improve user experience, boost conversions and revenue, and strengthen your search rankings.
Focus on choosing excellent web hosting, adding proper WordPress caching, and carefully optimizing images to start seeing quick gains. But also keep an eye on render-blocking resources, server response times, and layout shifts.
Make Core Web Vitals an ongoing focus, not just a one-time fix. Monitor your scores regularly and keep making incremental improvements to your WordPress site.
