Google frequently updates their algorithms in order to make sure website owners are able to deliver a positive user experience. Above all, users wish to find the information they seek in a timely manner. As of June 2021, ‘Core Web Vitals’ is the newest addition to Google’s page ranking metrics.

Core Web Vitals assesses webpage experience to ensure it is stable and the visitor enjoys their time on your site.This has been launched to help webmasters focus on the most important elements of their digital hub. Unlike Google’s usual changes in algorithms which are released without warning, notice was given months in advance, indicating its importance.

With a world that has become increasingly focused around online operations, this algorithmic change will be of key importance to recruiters - whether they are looking to engage clients, attract candidates, or develop their overall brand.

UX and SEO go hand in hand and, as part of this update, as critical factors of a web experience that will now be measured and prioritised for search engine ranking. 

These factors are:

• Page load speed – Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP reviews how long the largest piece of content takes to load – e.g. images, videos, audio. Essentially determining the operational speed of the site.

Desired outcome: Ensure your largest piece of content loads in under 2.5 seconds

• Visual Stability – Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Stability is ranked by Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which will assess your pages in terms of how quickly the various page elements settle. Ideally, buttons and features on pages should not move during the loading process and the page will build quickly across various devices in order to have a good stability rank.

Desired outcome: A CLS score of less than 0.1 seconds.

• Interactivity measure– First Input Delay (FID)

This measures how quickly you can interact with the page once it has loaded completely - as assessed by First Input Delay (FID).

Desired outcome: Aim for an FID of less than 100 milliseconds.

These changes to SEO have been implemented by Google to ensure sites perform well whilst providing stability wherever they are viewed. Such technical enhancements require sites to continuously refresh themselves in order to provide an optimal experience to visitors.

Core Web Vitals reporting will be found in the ‘enhancements’ section of the Google Search Console. Google has given website owners an extended deadline of mid-June 2021 to get everything in order to avoid your website’s authority being threatened with a poor score. Create a roadmap of actions to improve these initiatives and meet the overarching goal of maximising user page experiences.

The benefit of implementing these appropriate changes from Google increases the chance of maximising awareness and traction to your pages. However, failing to comply with Core Web Vitals may cause your Website SEO to drop if Google ranks you down.