7 Proven Ways to Improve Core Web Vitals
Estimated Reading Time: 7 Minutes
Core Web Vitals are Google’s user experience metrics that directly impact your search engine rankings and your users' satisfaction. In a digital landscape where milliseconds matter, optimizing these vitals can drastically improve site speed, interactivity, and visual stability—all key to better SEO and conversions.
In this post, you’ll learn 7 proven ways to improve Core Web Vitals, with clear instructions and tools to measure progress.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a subset of Google’s Page Experience signals and include:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – Measures loading performance (ideal: ≤2.5 seconds).
First Input Delay (FID) – Measures interactivity (ideal: ≤100 ms).
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – Measures visual stability (ideal: ≤0.1).
👉 As of 2024, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is replacing FID as the primary responsiveness metric.
Why Core Web Vitals Matter
🧠 Better user experience reduces bounce rate and increases engagement.
🔍 Core Web Vitals are official ranking signals in Google’s algorithm.
📈 Improved vitals lead to higher conversions and lower abandonment.
Let’s dive into the seven ways you can improve them.
1. Optimize Your Website's Hosting and Server Response Time (TTFB)
Time to First Byte (TTFB) is closely linked to LCP. A slow server delays everything else.
✅ How to Fix:
Use a fast, reliable hosting provider.
Leverage CDNs (e.g., Cloudflare, BunnyCDN) to serve content faster.
Enable server-level caching (e.g., Redis, Varnish).
Use HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 protocols.
🔧 Tools:
WebPageTest
Chrome DevTools > Network tab
2. Optimize and Lazy-Load Images
Images are often the largest contentful element, directly affecting LCP.
✅ How to Fix:
Convert images to WebP or AVIF.
Compress images using tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or ShortPixel.
Add loading="lazy" to defer off-screen images.
🔧 Tools:
Squoosh
ImageKit.io
3. Minimize JavaScript and Defer Non-Critical Scripts
Heavy or poorly managed JavaScript can harm both FID/INP and LCP.
✅ How to Fix:
Minify and bundle JS files.
Use defer or async attributes to load non-essential scripts after the page renders.
Remove unused JS with tools like PurgeCSS or Tree-shaking.
🔧 Tools:
PageSpeed Insights
Chrome Lighthouse
4. Implement Critical CSS and Minify Stylesheets
Render-blocking CSS delays first paint and interactivity.
✅ How to Fix:
Extract and inline critical CSS.
Minify and combine CSS files.
Load non-critical styles asynchronously.
🔧 Tools:
CSSNano
5. Preload Important Resources
Preloading helps browsers prioritize essential assets, improving LCP and INP.
✅ How to Fix:
Use <link rel="preload"> for fonts, hero images, and critical JS.
Preconnect to external domains (e.g., Google Fonts, analytics).
Example:
html
CopyEdit
<link rel="preload" href="/fonts/Roboto.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin="anonymous">
🔧 Tools:
Preload Scanner
6. Avoid Layout Shifts with Proper Size Attributes
Unexpected movement on a page hurts CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift).
✅ How to Fix:
Set fixed width and height for images, videos, and ads.
Reserve space for dynamic content like banners and embeds.
Avoid inserting DOM elements above already-loaded content.
🔧 Tools:
Chrome DevTools > Lighthouse > Layout Shift Visualization
7. Use a Performance Monitoring Tool and Continuous Testing
You can't fix what you don’t measure.
✅ What to Use:
Google Search Console > Core Web Vitals Report
PageSpeed Insights
Lighthouse
WebPageTest
New Relic or GTmetrix
💡 Bonus Tip:
Set up automated alerts to track when your Core Web Vitals drop below thresholds.
Final Thoughts: Improving Core Web Vitals Is an Ongoing Process
Optimizing for Core Web Vitals is no longer optional—it’s a must. These seven strategies help you create faster, more stable, and more responsive websites that users (and Google) love.
🔁 Summary: 7 Proven Ways to Improve Core Web Vitals
Upgrade hosting and reduce TTFB.
Optimize and lazy-load images.
Minimize and defer JavaScript.
Minify and inline critical CSS.
Preload essential assets.
Prevent layout shifts (set fixed sizes).
Monitor with performance tools.