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Are you looking to understand why your core web vitals assessment failed on Google? Great, let’s see what you must do to pass this test.
Google recently added a new metric called core web vitals to its ranking algorithm. What Google is trying to do with this new algorithmic signal is to reduce its dependence on backlinks and older ranking methods and focus more on actual user experience. Google’s mission is to rank websites that are responsive, engaging, and easy to use.
Since this is a fresh concept we will cover it in detail, and provide all the information you need about this topic, whether you’re a new or more advanced SEO specialist.
Why Should You Care About Your Core Web Vitals Assessment?
If your site displays a message of “core web vitals assessment failure,” it means you need to improve the core web vitals metrics. This means you need to optimise the user experience on your website to increase your visibility on Google’s search engine.
Do Core Web Vitals Affect Ranking?
Yes, but not always. A website page can still rank if it has excellent content regardless of whether or not it passed the core web vital test. We still recommend you try to improve your web vitals results to keep your ranking higher than your competitors on Google.
Focus first on creating high-quality content and posting it, and only once it gets traffic should you work on optimizing the core web vitals metrics. Doing this will save you time and help you focus first on the pages that are getting you better results.
Our agency uses Semrush as our go-to SEO software, and we highly recommend it for businesses looking to improve their web ranking. Other than helping you research high-volume and easy-to-rank keywords, it also has a core web vital assessor similar to Google. We believe that keeping all your research and SEO tools under one roof saves you time, and Semrush does exactly that.
How Do I Check My Core Web Vitals Score?
To understand why your page is showing a “core web vitals assessment failed” warning, you need to test what’s wrong with your website. You can do this by assessing the main three metrics using free Web Vital SEO tools, which can help you determine what is the issues regarding CLS, FID, and LCP.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core web vitals are a group of 3 distinct performance tests Google uses to determine user page experience. Two of them test the speed of your website (LCP, FID) and third one is about the UX/UI design (CLS).
You can find your site’s core web vitals data in your Google Search Console Account main menu under the “Experience” section. There are also other websites that can assess your core web vitals, but we recommend to use Google if have your Google Console Account set up.
Important note: Remember it takes 28 days for your core web vitals to update so any modifications you make on your website will take some time to be reflected.
1. First Input Delay (FID)
The First Input Delay (FID) measures the user’s experience when interacting with your website. It quantifies the time it takes for a website to become responsive after the user interface has loaded. That small delay between the point when a website is completely loaded visually and when it becomes functional is what FID tests on your web page.
Google considers FID vital because it accounts for how long it takes for your website to load and the speed of your website is one of the most important factors when it comes to user experience.
FID usually walks hand-in-hand with your LCP, meaning that if you improve one it will usually have a positive impact on the other. Mostly because both are measurements of time, so they are directly affected by your website’s performance.
Here are some things you can do to improve your FID scores:
- Compress the images on your website and use a WEBP format, You can try using a WEBP converter online.
- Find a better server for hosting your website (check server performance before purchasing). We usually recommend going with DNS servers or servers located in the country where you get the most traffic.
- An old website template could be the reason for slow website speed. Getting a new website template or a custom–built one could improve overall speed.
- Removing any unnecessary pop-ups and widgets that you are not using can also improve your website’s speed and the overall FID & LCP score.
- Conducting regular web maintenance tasks such as updating your CRM and any add-ons is also a good practice to retain website speed.
2. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures the time it takes for the largest text block, image or video to display on the screen. This element is typically located above the fold on your web page.
LCP focuses on the user’s experience in regards to loading time. A page with a good LCP score should load within 2.5 seconds or less, but this can be challenging for pages with many features or heavy images.
To improve your LCP, you can apply the same tasks covered in the FID section. More specifically, you can reduce the file size of the web elements you have above the fold on your website.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Cumulative layout shift deals with visual stability, that is, how stable your page is while and after it loads. Suppose the elements on your page move around while the page loads; then your CLS score will be high (which is bad).
Also, if using a function on your web page causes things to pop up or shift around, it will also negatively impact your score. Many issues impacting CLS usually have to do with UX design and whether your website is optimised for all devices. A reasonably stable page prevents viewers from accidentally clicking on an item, image, or field.
Here are a some things you can do to reduce CLS:
- Get a UX/UI designer to assess your website and improve any CLS issues they find.
- Ensure new UI elements are added below the fold.
- Never insert content above existing content. Web elements should not be pushing each other around.
- Every device (mobile, desktop and tablet) should be checked to see if all the web elements are positioned properly.
- Ensure the sizing of your images and text are optimised for all devices.
- Use a CMS that is integrated with Google Lighthouse to help you identify design issues.
Do Core Web Vitals Matter?
Core web vitals matter now more than ever. In past years, Google consistently ranked web pages based mostly on backlinks and keywords. Very soon, core web vitals and other user experience measures will be the dominant factors Google uses for ranking websites in the top search results.
Core web vitals will get more important over time, but it already serves as a tiebreaker for now with older SEO practices.
What is a Good Website Health Score?
To remain competitive, you want to have a technical health score of around 90% or more. You can only really improve your ranking on Google and other search engines if you analyse and measure the overall technical health score of your website.
How Do I Fix Core Web Vitals Issues?
Remember that it’s important to work on these because optimizing your core web vitals can significantly increase your chances of ranking on Google. Also note that you don’t need to take all the steps we covered in this article. Sometimes just compressing your images or changing your hosting server provider will do wonders for your overall score.
Here is a summary of the ways you can improve your core web vitals score:
- Optimise your images either by compressing, properly sizing them and using a WEBP format.
- Use a faster hosting server provider.
- Reduce the size of your CSS, HTML, and JS files.
- Decrease the number of widgets and pop-ups on your page.
- Pay attention to other UX/UI metrics, such as the responsiveness of your content and legibility.
- Get a new website template that is more optimised for speed.
How Do I Pass Core Web Vitals?
Before you can pass the core web vitals assessment, you need to score “good” for all three core web vitals metrics that we covered in this article: First Input Delay (FID), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
Conclusion
Core web vitals measure qualitative user experience on a website. Having a good core vitals score will help your Google ranking and user experience, which will potentially lead to more visitors and customers. We recommend you go ahead and test your website’s experience to see where you stand right now.
Get in touch with us if you need specialized help.
