Core Web Vitals
Google's set of speed and UX metrics — LCP, INP, and CLS — used as ranking signals.
Full definition
Core Web Vitals are a subset of Google's Web Vitals initiative, introduced as a ranking factor in 2021. They measure real-world user experience across three dimensions: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures loading performance, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures responsiveness to user input, and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures visual stability. Google's thresholds are: LCP under 2.5s (good), INP under 200ms (good), CLS under 0.1 (good). Poor Core Web Vitals can be a tiebreaker in competitive SERPs. Data is collected from real Chrome users via CrUX (Chrome User Experience Report) and reported in Google Search Console.
Real-world example
After a site redesign improves LCP from 4.1s to 1.9s and CLS from 0.25 to 0.04, organic rankings for 23 target keywords improve by an average of 3 positions.
Related terms
A Core Web Vital that measures how long it takes for the largest visible element on a page to fully load.
Read definitionA Core Web Vital that measures a page's responsiveness to user interactions like clicks, taps, and keyboard input.
Read definitionA Core Web Vital that measures the visual stability of a page — how much content unexpectedly shifts during loading.
Read definitionThe page displayed by a search engine in response to a query, containing organic results, ads, and features like Local Pack and Knowledge Graph.
Read definitionReady to apply this to your business?
Build a custom digital marketing proposal in 60 seconds. We scope the right strategy for your market, industry, and growth goals.
Build my proposal