Definition

What Are Core Web Vitals?

A set of three Google metrics — LCP, CLS, and INP — that measure real-world user experience for loading, visual stability, and interactivity. Used as a Google ranking factor.

Related Terms

LCP

CLS

INP

Page Speed

SEO

Example

After a website redesign, a client's Core Web Vitals pass all three thresholds, contributing to a 15% improvement in organic rankings.

Google data shows that sites meeting all three Core Web Vitals thresholds have 24% fewer page abandonments compared to sites failing all three — directly linking technical performance to business outcomes.

Synonyms:

CWV, Page Experience signals, Google UX metrics

Acronyms:

CWV

What it applies to

Every public page of every website. Google measures Core Web Vitals using real user data from Chrome browsers (Chrome UX Report) — so every visitor's experience contributes to the field data score used for ranking.

The three Core Web Vitals and their thresholds

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Good = under 2.5s. Measures load speed of the largest visible element. Fix by preloading the LCP image, using a CDN, and compressing images.
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Good = under 0.1. Measures visual stability. Fix by setting explicit dimensions on images and reserving space for dynamic content.
  • INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Good = under 200ms. Measures responsiveness to user input. Fix by reducing JavaScript execution time and breaking up long tasks on the main thread.

How to measure and monitor Core Web Vitals

  • Google Search Console → Core Web Vitals report: Shows field data for all URLs on your site — the authoritative source for what Google actually sees.
  • PageSpeed Insights: Shows both lab data (Lighthouse) and field data (CrUX) for individual URLs.
  • Chrome DevTools → Performance tab: Detailed lab profiling for diagnosing specific issues.

In Webflow

Webflow's CDN hosting provides a strong CWV baseline. Key Webflow-specific optimisations: disable lazy loading on the hero image, use Webflow's built-in WebP image conversion, minimise custom JavaScript and third-party embeds, and enable compression in Webflow's hosting settings.

Core Web Vitals: Common Questions Answered

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Answer