How do I fix Core Web Vitals?

Find out which metric is failing

Open the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console. It groups URLs by template and tells you which metric is the problem on mobile and desktop. Then run one example URL through PageSpeed Insights for the details.

The thresholds for “good” are an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, an INP of 200 ms or less and a CLS of 0.1 or less, measured at the 75th percentile of real visits. Work on whichever one is red first.

Fixing slow LCP

Largest Contentful Paint is usually the hero image or headline. Resize the hero to the size it actually displays at, serve it as WebP or AVIF, and don’t lazy-load it. Add a preload hint or fetch priority so the browser gets it first.

If the server itself is slow, look at time to first byte. Better hosting, caching or a CDN help. Remove render-blocking CSS and scripts in the head where you can, and limit custom web fonts to the weights you use.

Fixing poor INP

Interaction to Next Paint measures how quickly the page responds when someone taps or clicks. Long-running JavaScript is almost always the cause.

Audit third-party scripts first. Chat widgets, heatmaps, tag managers and social embeds all compete for the main thread. Remove what you don’t use and delay what you can until after the page is interactive. On WordPress, heavy page builders and stacks of plugins often add a lot of script. On a custom build, keep components light and avoid running big tasks on every click.

Fixing layout shift

Cumulative Layout Shift is the page jumping around while it loads. Give every image and video width and height attributes, so the browser reserves the space.

Reserve room for anything that loads late, like cookie banners, embeds and announcement bars. Use font-display settings and matched fallback fonts so text doesn’t reflow when the web font arrives. Avoid inserting content above what the visitor is already reading.

I fix by template, not by page. If the service page template has a slow hero, fixing it once fixes thirty pages. I start with the metric Search Console flags, make the change, check it in the lab, and then click “Validate fix” so Google starts tracking.

Field data takes up to 28 days to reflect changes, so I warn clients not to expect the report to turn green overnight. On my own builds, prerendering and a tight script budget mean these metrics are usually green from launch.