By Shad Super in Questions —

What Steps Should Be Taken if the Page Experience Report Shows a Poor Performance in Core Web Vitals?

Summary

If the Page Experience report indicates poor performance in Core Web Vitals, it is crucial to optimize various webpage attributes to enhance user experience. Below is a comprehensive guide covering the necessary steps to improve Core Web Vitals, backed with authoritative source citations.

Core Web Vitals Overview

Core Web Vitals are a subset of factors that Google considers important in a webpage's overall user experience. They include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Addressing issues in these metrics can lead to a significant improvement in webpage performance and user satisfaction.

Improving Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Optimize Server Response Times

Decrease server response times by using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) and implementing server-side caching. This can reduce latency and improve loading times. [Why Performance Matters, 2023].

Efficient Asset Delivery

- Use <link rel="preload"> to prioritize critical resources [Preload Critical Assets, 2022]. - Compress images and text files using formats like WebP, Gzip, and Brotli [Enable Text Compression, 2021]. - Use responsive images with <srcset> and <sizes> attributes [Serve Responsive Images, 2023].

Improving First Input Delay (FID)

Minimize JavaScript Execution Time

- Break up long tasks and load JavaScript files asynchronously using async or defer attributes [Defer Non-Critical JavaScript, 2023]. - Optimize the critical rendering path [Understanding the Critical Rendering Path, 2023].

Reduce Third-Party Code Impact

Audit third-party scripts to ensure they don’t significantly delay interactivity [Control Third-Party Scripts, 2023].

Improving Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Include Size Attributes for Media

Always include width and height size attributes on images and video elements to ensure that space is allocated during the page load [Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), 2023].

Reserve Space for Ads and Embeds

Allocate specific slots for ads, embeds, and iframes to minimize layout shifts [Ad Fragmentation and Layout Shifts, 2023].

CSS for Font Loading

Use the font-display: swap property to prevent invisible or shifting text [Web Font Optimization, 2023].

Additional Recommendations

Monitor and Analyze Performance

Utilize performance monitoring tools like Google’s Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights to identify and address issues.

Regular Auditing

Perform regular audits and keep up-to-date with the latest best practices by consulting resources such as web.dev and Google Search Central.

References