Making Google’s Core Web Vitals Work for You
Log in to Google Search Console these days and you will see new reports related to Google’s core web vitals. The vitals are ranking factors for search rank, so it is important to address any issues found in the reports.
Here are general ways to ensure you rank well for these critical elements.
Optimize Images
Large images are often the largest contentful paint (LCP) for any given site. Uploading images in the size and resolution needed will reduce load time and help you with this ranking factor.
Specify Sizes
Another ranking factor is cumulative layout shift (CLS). An example of this is when a mobile page looks ready and just when you want to hit a button, the content shifts and a slow loading ad appears in that place. This happens often and is one of the main causes of frustration for users.
CLS is caused by images without dimensions in the cascading style sheet (CSS). It can also be caused by ads and embeds without dimension, or dynamically injected content. When not properly given dimensions, these elements tend to jump just a bit during the loading process, making it appear jerky and unstable.
One way to prevent CLS is to add the width and height for images in the CSS. This way, the browser will reserve space for that image that’ll probably appear later than the text.
Pay Attention to Speed
Getting your server to respond quicker directly improves a lot of site speed metrics.
- Upgrade your hosting plan to get the best performance available within your budget
- Use a recent version of PHP
- Keep your CMS and database updated to the latest versions
