Page Fails Core Web Vitals Requirements

Description

The page is not meeting Google's Core Web Vitals performance requirements.

How to Fix

Address the specific failing metrics (LCP, CLS, or INP) by following the recommendations for each individual metric. Focus on improving page load speed, visual stability, and interactivity.

Detailed Analysis

Certainly! The issue of a page failing to meet Google's Core Web Vitals requirements is a common concern in SEO and web development. Let's break it down:

1. What Causes This Issue

Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important in a webpage’s overall user experience. They are made up of three primary metrics:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance. To provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.
• First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity. Pages should have a FID of less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability. Pages should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1.

Common causes of failure include:

• Heavy Images: Large image files or unoptimized images can slow down LCP.
• Render-blocking Resources: JavaScript and CSS files that delay loading can affect all three metrics.
• Poor Server Response Times: Slow backend processing can delay LCP.
• Client-side Rendering Delays: Excessive JavaScript execution time can increase FID.
• Unstable Layouts: Dynamic content like ads or widgets that change the layout during loading can increase CLS.

2. Why It's Important

Core Web Vitals are important because:

• Search Rankings: Google uses these metrics as part of its ranking algorithm, so poor performance can negatively impact search rankings.
• User Experience: Fast, responsive, and stable pages lead to better user satisfaction, higher engagement, and potentially more conversions.
• Competitive Edge: Meeting or exceeding these standards can provide an advantage over competitors who do not.

3. Best Practices to Prevent It

To prevent failures in Core Web Vitals, consider the following best practices:

• Optimize Images: Use next-gen formats like WebP, compress images, and ensure proper sizing.
• Minimize Render-blocking Resources: Defer non-critical JavaScript, use asynchronous loading, and inline critical CSS.
• Improve Server Response Times: Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN), optimize server configurations, and cache assets effectively.
• Reduce JavaScript Execution Time: Minimize the amount and complexity of JavaScript, and consider code-splitting.
• Ensure Visual Stability: Use fixed dimensions for images and embed elements, and avoid inserting content above existing content.

4. Examples of Good and Bad Cases

• Good Case:
  • A news website optimized its images by converting them to WebP format and lazy-loading offscreen images. They also reduced their CSS and JavaScript payloads by inlining critical CSS and deferring non-essential scripts. As a result, their LCP improved to 2 seconds, FID to 80 ms, and CLS to 0.05.
• Bad Case:
  • An e-commerce site with heavy third-party scripts for tracking and ads had an LCP of 4 seconds, FID of 200 ms, and CLS of 0.3. They didn’t optimize their images, and the layout shifted significantly as ads loaded, leading to poor user experience and lower search rankings.

Addressing Core Web Vitals is a technical challenge but crucial for maintaining web performance and search visibility. Regular audits and using tools like Google's PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and Search Console can help monitor and improve these metrics.