How to prepare for google core web vitals update in 2021

Author: Ezio Solutions

How to Prepare for Google Core Web Vitals Update in 2021

Overview

Google has taken new initiatives to offer unified guidance called core web vitals that signal qualities which are essential to deliver a great user experience and benefit both the user and the businesses. They help to monitor and improve the quality of user experience.

What are Core Web Vitals?

According to a recent Google update core web vitals will be the crucial aspects that will determine ranking signals and a better overall user experience. The core web vitals will focus on improving the user’s experience when he interacts with your website, and also help in assessing the performance score of your website’s page which will eventually contribute to Google’s ranking algorithm.

The three important metrics that will affect the Google ranking factors:
  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
  • First Input Delay (FID)
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

This is an aspect that is assessed to see how long your website page takes to load in real-time from the point of view of an actual user. An LCP of 2.5 seconds or less is considered to be the perfect; if it is between 2.5 and 4 seconds it is reviewed as "requires improvement"; and if it is more than 4 seconds then it is rated "poor".

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Cumulative Layout Shift, one of the Core Web Vitals metrics, measures the instability of content. Layout shifts are serious issues as they distract the users. CLS determines the stability of your website while loading. The faster the better. If CLS is 0.1 it is "good;"0.1-0.25 "needs improvement"; and above 0.25 is rated to be "poor".

First Input Delay (FID)

This measures the user’s experience like logging in, scrolling, clicking a link and such activities while he first interacts with your website or the time before the first interaction. If the FID is 100 milliseconds or less, it is ranked as "good"; a range between 100-300 milliseconds is rated as "needs improvement". FID above 300ms is considered poor.

Why Core Web Vitals are important

Core Web Vitals are important simply because Google rankings is wrapped up with it. Google has intended to add page experience score as a ranking signal for your business website.

How to improve Core Web Vital Score
  • Eliminate unnecessary third-party scripts
  • Check and upgrade your web hosting
  • Boost your main thread activity
  • Get rid of large page elements
  • Enhance HTTPS Security Protocol
  • Enable browser cache
  • Put off Java Script
  • Defer intrusive interstitial on the website
  • Ensure that your key-page templates are mobile friendly
How to measure and analyze Core Web Vitals

Google has made it easy to measure the Core Web Vitals. You have to use lab data as well as field data. Lab data is the data collected at ideal conditions and field data involves users who are using old devices or having slower internet connections.

What can digital marketers expect about Web Vitals

Simply put, Google is placing the perfect websites on the top. Core web vitals are aimed at offering an ideal internet experience. Digital marketers should follow the latest trends to launch successful digital marketing compaigns. Since core web vitals go hand-in-hand with consumer experiences, it is essential that the digital marketers tweak their ranking stretegies.

How Core Web vitals affect SEO

Website that performs better in meeting users’ needs are more likely to rank higher in the search results and increase organic traffic. The search engine algorithms help users to find what they want, assess user behavior, and provide the most relevant results. And that is why integrating core web vitals is becoming a significant part of SEOsuccess of any brand.

Expect New Labels in Google search results

Users can soon find new labels in their search results that has been put up by Google. These labels indicate the sites that offer a better user experience.

Non-AMP content to take top position

According to the new Google update pages that carry non-AMP content can also appear in top stories carousel.

The factors that affect search signals

Google considers certain other elements also as core web vitals to consider website ranking that include:

  • Mobile friendliness
  • Safe browsing
  • HTTPS
  • Intrusive interstitials
Mobile friendliness

This means that your website should be compatible enough to be accessed from mobiles. Having a website that is available to all types of screen size is a must.

Safe browsing

Make sure that your website is not having malwares or viruses

HTTPS

It is evident that users face new internet threats every day and it becomes significant to ensure that your website is safe to browse. Ensure that you have the padlock icon before the scheme of your website.

Intrusive interstitials

Intrusive interstitials negatively impact the user experience. Don’t annoy users unnecessarily with pop ups that interrupt the user experience.

Why Google’s Core Web Vitals is a Ranking Factor in 2021

Google is preferring to put the user experience first and that is why core web vitals is a ranking factor in 2021.Web pages that rank high in core web vitals will now see a boost in the ranking of the website. But this by no means reduces the importance of the relevancy of the content. Web pages that have relevant content will still rank high, but core web vitals will be a tiebreaker.

How to make your website ready for Core Vitals update 2021

With the advent of Google update about the core web vitals, it has become clear that the technical side of your SEO is gaining importance while still quality content rules it. Let’s see how you can get your website ready for core vitals effectively.

  1. Reduce Java script execution
  2. Speed up your server
  3. Crunch large images
  4. Improve server response time
Reduce Java script (JS) execution

If you get a poor FID score, it means that the page is taking more than 300 milliseconds. To rectify, you should try reducing the Java Script code and the page will get reduced. You should also use as little memory as possible.

Speed up your server

Implement lazy loading in order to protect user experience and core web vitals. This allows the images to load as the page is scrolled down without compromising the loading speed of the website and aids in achieving a high LCP score. You can also improve your sites performance and SEO, limit the bandwidth usage, and reduce the bounce rate.

Crunch large images

Make your pages lighter by compressing large images. It helps to increase the LCP score. You should also activate Content Delivery Network (CDN) for images.

Improve server response time

A long server response time can have a negative effect on SEO and user experience. You can improve the response time by checking your web hosting speed, using CDN, and reviewing your plugins.

6 Ways that Google uses to measure Core Web Vitals

Google offers 6 metrics that site owners can use to measure their core web vital scores. This includes:

  1. Search Console
  2. Page Speed Insights
  3. Lighthouse
  4. Chrome Dev Tools
  5. Chrome UX Report
  6. Web Vitals Extension
Search Console

A new report has been added to the Search Console that helps in spotting the pages which require improvement in relevance to the real-time data that is obtained through Chrome UX. Remember that URLs will be removed if they do not have a minimum amount of reporting data.

Page Speed Insights (PSI)

This is a report on the performance of the pages of your website in both desktop and mobile devices. The report also includes suggestions on the improvements that can be made. PSI offers both lab data and field data.

Lighthouse

Page speed insights have been upgraded and you can use Lighthouse 6.0 that allows to measure the core web vitals in lab and field section report.

Chrome DevTools

This tool helps to fix visual instability issues.

Chrome UX Report

This report measures the field versions of the core web vitals.

Web Vitals Extension

It is a new extension now available and can be installed from Chrome web store.

Optimize Core Web Vitals with our SEO Audit Tool to rank higher

Ezio has created a SEO audit tool that is ideal to check whether all the factors of your website are contributing to ranking. You can quickly analyze all the SEO data and optimize the website. It is easy to check ranking and can compare it with your previous status. Accurate reports on performance, On Page, indexing, Off Page, and other elements can be obtained along with suggestions and quick fixes.

The Bottom line

Google has included many more elements to be optimized with the focus to offer better user experience. The core web vitals are considered crucial so that there will be improved user interaction with improved perceptions of the products and services that the businesses provide.