What are the 3 pillars of Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure the performance of websites. They provide an excellent foundation for understanding how well a website is performing and the impact it has on the user experience. As such, these metrics are essential for website owners and developers to be aware of and continuously monitor for improvements. 

In this blog post, we'll be taking a look at the three pillars of Core Web Vitals – loading, interactivity, and visual stability – and exploring why they are so important for website performance. We'll also discuss the key metrics associated with each pillar and the steps you can take to ensure your website meets the Core Web Vitals standards. By the end of this blog post, you should have a better understanding of the importance of Core Web Vitals and how to improve your website's performance.

1. Largest Contentful Paint

The first pillar is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). This is a metric that aims to measure the loading performance of a web page. It measures how quickly the largest content element is loaded, which is typically an image or text block. It is important because it gives an indication of how quickly a user can begin to interact with the page. The LCP should be as fast as possible, ideally within 2.5 seconds of the page being requested. The page should be fully interactive within 4 seconds, otherwise, the user may become frustrated and leave the page.

2. First Input Delay

The second pillar of Core Web Vitals is First Input Delay (FID). FID measures the time from when a user first interacts with the page — such as when they click a link, tap a button, or enter a text input — to the time when the browser responds to that interaction. A good FID score should be less than 100 milliseconds, as anything longer can lead to a poor user experience. It's important to note that FID is heavily influenced by JavaScript execution and rendering, as more complex pages often require more complex JavaScript and require more time to render. Optimizing JavaScript execution and rendering can help improve your FID score.

3. Cumulative Layout Shift

The third pillar of Core Web Vitals is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). CLS measures the number of unexpected layout shifts that occur during the loading of a page. This is important for user experience, as it ensures that the page is stable and doesn't unexpectedly move elements around while the user is trying to interact with it. CLS is measured in points, with a score of 0.1 or less being considered a good score.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the three pillars of Core Web Vitals are essential to understand if you want to improve the user experience and SEO of your website. It's important to remember that these pillars are all interrelated and must be taken into consideration in order to deliver the best performance. Taking the time to assess and optimize your page speed, interactivity, and visual stability can help you achieve a superior user experience and maximize your success.