Why You Need to Optimize for Core Web Vitals in 2022

Core Web Vitals was introduced in May 2020 as a way for Google to provide site owners with more detailed user experience metrics and to encourage companies to adopt better practices and standards on their web properties. In the nearly two years since it was rolled out, many sites still struggle to provide a quality mobile experience and here’s why you need to focus on Core Web Vitals in 2022 if you aren’t already on it.

What are the Core Web Vitals

Google uses 3 KPIs when evaluating a sites mobile performance:

First Input Delay – How long before a user can start scrolling and using the site

Largest Contentful Paint – How long it takes for main content to be loaded

Cumulative Layout Shift – How much does a phone screen “jump” as content is loaded in

Each one plays an important role in the overall score and a high performing site should be optimized for each.

Why You Need to Optimize

User Experience

The most important reason you need to optimize for Core Web Vitals is user experience. A poor mobile experience is something that still plagues many sites with slow load times, non-responsive designs and pages that load and then jump as elements fill in. This leads to higher bounce rates and fewer conversions and often the elements causing headaches for mobile users are simple fixes that don’t require extensive development sprints.

Future Proof for SEO

Google continues to hint that Core Web Vitals will be used as a ranking signal at some point in the future and if your site already has great organic traffic and visibility but a poor mobile experience, you don’t want to put your business at risk over minor site fixes. On the other side if your site is new or struggling to get traction, having a high performing site can give you an edge as you scale up your growth.

Either way whether it’s gaining more leads or traffic, focusing on Core Web Vitals is going to help your business grow online. If you’re stuck and trying to figure out what you can do to improve your site’s performance, contact AVX Digital today and we’ll be happy to put assist.