What are Core Web Vitals and why do they matter for SEO?
Core Web Vitals (CWV) are 3 key Google metrics measuring site speed and user experience: LCP (largest contentful paint, under 2.5s), INP (interaction to next paint, under 200ms), CLS (cumulative layout shift, under 0.1). Since 2021 CWV affect Google rankings, especially mobile. A site with poor CWV loses to competitors with equal relevance. Check: PageSpeed Insights or Google Search Console.
Core Web Vitals (CWV) are 3 key Google metrics measuring site speed and user experience. Since 2021 they affect rankings, especially mobile. Not a magic ranking lever, but at equal relevance a site with green CWV wins.
3 metrics (as of 2026)
| Metric | What it measures | Good | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP | Largest content load | ≤ 2.5s | > 4s |
| INP | Click/tap responsiveness | ≤ 200ms | > 500ms |
| CLS | Layout stability | ≤ 0.1 | > 0.25 |
March 2024: Google replaced FID with INP — stricter responsiveness metric.
Where to check
- PageSpeed Insights (free).
- Google Search Console → Core Web Vitals report.
- Chrome DevTools → Lighthouse.
- WebPageTest.org.
This question is also asked as:
- •what are core web vitals
- •lcp inp cls explained
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