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Core Web Vitals

Google's three performance metrics (LCP, CLS, INP) that directly influence search ranking.

The three that count for ranking

In 2026, Google uses three metrics as the official Core Web Vitals:

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — perceived loading speed. Target: ≤ 2.5s
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) — visual stability. Target: ≤ 0.1
INP (Interaction to Next Paint) — responsiveness. Target: ≤ 200ms (replaced FID in 2024)

Hit "good" on all three and you earn a small ranking boost. Fail any one and you slowly lose ground to competitors that pass.

What each one measures

LCP — The moment when the biggest visible piece of content (usually the hero image or main headline) is rendered. Slow LCP usually means slow images or a heavy above-the-fold JavaScript bundle.

CLS — How much your page jumps around as it loads. Common culprits: images without declared dimensions, ads injected above content, web fonts swapping in late.

INP — The delay between a user clicking/tapping and something visibly happening. Usually hurt by heavy JavaScript on button clicks.

Related terms

Put it into practice.

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