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How to Fix Core Web Vitals

Complete guide to improving LCP, INP, and CLS scores for better SEO rankings and user experience.

What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that Google uses to measure user experience on your website. These metrics directly impact your search rankings and conversion rates. The three key metrics are:

LCP

Largest Contentful Paint

Measures loading performance. Should be under 2.5 seconds.

INP

Interaction to Next Paint

Measures interactivity. Should be under 200 milliseconds.

CLS

Cumulative Layout Shift

Measures visual stability. Should be under 0.1.

How to Fix LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

LCP measures how quickly the main content of your page loads. Here's how to improve it:

1. Optimize Images

  • • Compress using TinyPNG or ImageOptim
  • • Use WebP or AVIF formats
  • • Lazy load below-the-fold images
  • • Add width/height attributes

2. Improve Server Response

  • • Fast hosting with good TTFB
  • • Enable server-level caching
  • • Use a CDN
  • • Optimize database queries

3. Eliminate Render-Blocking

  • • Defer non-critical JavaScript
  • • Inline critical CSS
  • • Use async/defer on scripts
  • • Remove unused CSS/JS

How to Fix INP (Interaction to Next Paint)

INP measures how quickly your site responds to user interactions. Here's how to improve it:

1. Optimize JavaScript Execution

  • • Break up long tasks into smaller chunks
  • • Use web workers for heavy computations
  • • Debounce and throttle event handlers
  • • Remove or defer third-party scripts

2. Reduce Main Thread Work

  • • Minimize JavaScript bundle size
  • • Use code splitting for lazy loading
  • • Optimize React with useMemo/useCallback
  • • Avoid large DOM manipulations

How to Fix CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

CLS measures visual stability as the page loads. Here's how to improve it:

1. Set Size Attributes

  • • Include width/height on images
  • • Use aspect-ratio CSS property
  • • Reserve space for ads and embeds

2. Avoid Dynamic Injection

  • • Don't insert content above existing
  • • Reserve space for dynamic elements
  • • Use transform animations

3. Proper Font Loading

  • • Use font-display: swap/optional
  • • Preload critical fonts
  • • Use system fonts as fallbacks

Testing Your Core Web Vitals

Regular testing is essential to maintain good Core Web Vitals scores:

  • •Use Google PageSpeed Insights for detailed analysis
  • •Monitor real user data in Google Search Console
  • •Test on real devices with slow connections
  • •Use our PageSpeed Analyzer for AI-powered recommendations

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