What Are Core Web Vitals and Why Do They Matter for SEO?

What Are Core Web Vitals and Why Do They Matter for SEO?

In early 2021, a small update from Google created buzz across the SEO world, and it was the Page Experience Update. Overnight, website owners, developers, and digital marketers realized that good content alone wouldn’t be enough. Your site had to feel good, too.

At Eta Solutions, a results-driven SEO company in Ahmedabad, we’ve helped countless brands turn this insight into ranking power. This blog breaks down Core Web Vitals - the metrics at the heart of that update in a way that’s data-backed, relatable, and practically useful. This blog will guide business owners who are searching for SEO insights from a trustworthy source

Why Google’s Page Experience Update Changed Everything?

Google’s algorithm updates are rarely publicized in advance. But this one was.

The page experience update put user experience SEO right at the top of Google’s ranking priorities. For the first time, how your website makes users feel, especially on mobile, became a ranking factor, not just what you say.

And who were the heroes of this update? Core Web Vitals.

What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are three web performance metrics introduced by Google to quantify how users experience your site:

1. Largest Contentful Paint - LCP:

• Measures loading time of the main content.
• Ideal benchmark: under 2.5 seconds.

2. First Input Delay - FID:

• Measures interactivity, like how fast your site responds to user actions.
• Ideal benchmark: under 100 milliseconds.

3. Cumulative Layout Shift - CLS:

• Measures visual stability, like, do things move around as the page loads?
• Ideal benchmark: less than 0.1.

Google found that websites that are meeting all three Core Web Vitals see 24% less abandonment compared to those that don’t. That’s not just better UX. That’s more conversions, more engagement, and more revenue.

The Reality Check: What Happens If You Ignore Core Web Vitals?

A popular fashion brand we consulted saw a 40% drop in mobile traffic post-May 2021. The site was visually stunning, full of rich media, but the mobile page speed was not competing. LCP averaged 4.6 seconds. CLS was all over the place due to animations and pop-ups.

After fixing the loading structure and reducing unused JavaScript, not only did the brand recover traffic, but it also jumped 12 positions in competitive category keywords.

If you dare to neglect Core Web Vitals, you will face a lot of challenges for sure. It's a direct blow to visibility and website performance.

Why Core Web Vitals Matter, Specifically for SEO?

Yes, Core Web Vitals directly affect your Google ranking factors. How? Let’s see:

• Bounce rates: Pages that load slowly or shift content see higher bounce rates. Google notices and demotes such pages.
• Ranking signals: These vitals are now officially part of the ranking algorithm.
• Mobile-first indexing: With most searches happening on mobile, Google heavily penalizes poor performance on handheld devices.

As a forward-thinking SEO company in Ahmedabad, we remind clients: Good SEO is not at all just about keywords or backlinks, but it is about creating an experience Google wants to reward.

Fixing CWV Is Not a “Developer-Only” Task

Most CEOs and marketing heads assume Core Web Vitals fall strictly under technical SEO. Yes, code optimization plays a role, but so do strategic content and UX decisions.

How non-dev teams contribute:

• Content teams can compress image assets to reduce LCP.
• Design teams can avoid layout shifts by setting size attributes for media.
• Marketing can reduce heavy third-party scripts that delay FID.

Don’t silo the responsibility. Core Web Vitals should be a cross-functional priority.

What Google, Reddit, and SEOs Are Saying?

• John Mueller, who is Google Search Advocate emphasized in a live session: “Core Web Vitals are here to stay. Don’t treat them as a checklist; treat them as a user-centric design philosophy.”
• On Reddit’s r/SEO, multiple agency owners reported measurable ranking jumps after CWV optimizations, especially on mobile-first sites.
• Case studies on forums show LCP improvements of 1s leading to 15% more organic traffic for e-commerce brands.

These aren't isolated incidents. They're part of a measurable shift in how Google values user experience.

So… How Can You Improve Core Web Vitals?

Technical Fixes

• Implement lazy loading for images.
• Defer unused JavaScript.
• Use a CDN for faster content delivery.

Design-Level Fixes

• Predefined sizes for fonts, images, and videos.
• Avoid animations that cause layout shifts.
• Reduce the use of web fonts or load them asynchronously.

Speed Wins

• Move to a performance-optimized host.
• Run regular audits using tools like PageSpeed Insights and WebPageTest
• Treat loading speed SEO as a key KPI

Bonus Section: Our Proven Toolkit for Improving Core Web Vitals

We’ve tested dozens of tools, but these five consistently deliver results:

1. WebPageTest.org - Granular control and waterfall views for spotting render-blocking scripts.
2. Chrome DevTools Lighthouse - In-browser audits for real-time performance feedback.
3. NitroPack - Full-stack optimization like caching, image compression, and minification, that too, without needing code.
4. Perfmatters Plugin - For WordPress users, helps disable unused scripts and optimize load times.
5. Cloudflare + APO - Combines CDN and intelligent cache delivery for blazing-fast response time globally.

Don’t just install these, I suggest learn them. The difference lies in how deeply you customize based on your user’s journey.

The Big Takeaway

Core Web Vitals are foundational to how your website is judged, ranked, and rewarded by search engines.

If your site offers amazing content but feels clunky, Google won’t wait around. Users won’t either.

At Eta Solutions, a trusted SEO company in Ahmedabad, we specialize in aligning UX, tech, and content strategy to give your brand the visibility it deserves in the U.S. market. We don’t just “optimize websites.” We transform their performance, measurably.

Your Website Is a Storefront; Would You Walk Into One That Loads Slowly?

You wouldn’t.

If your site isn’t loading fast, responding quickly, or staying visually stable, you’re silently losing leads.

Make Core Web Vitals your competitive advantage, not your bottleneck.

Let your website speak speed, structure, and smoothness, not stress.

For tailored strategies to improve your Core Web Vitals and overall SEO game, reach out to Eta Solutions, the leading SEO company in Ahmedabad trusted by global brands.