Core Web Vitals are a small set of measurements of real-world user experience: how quickly the main content loads, how quickly the page responds when someone interacts, and how stable the layout is while loading. Google describes them as part of wider page experience in its Core Web Vitals documentation, and the thresholds are explained on web.dev.

The three measurements in plain English

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): how long the biggest visible element, often a hero image or headline, takes to appear

• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): how quickly the page reacts when someone taps, clicks or types

• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): how much content jumps around while the page loads

Each has a "good", "needs improvement" and "poor" band. Aim for the good band on your most important pages, particularly on mobile.

Do they matter for your business?

Yes, but keep it in proportion. A slow or jumpy page frustrates visitors, and frustrated visitors rarely enquire. Google also uses page experience as one of many signals, but great content that matches what people search for will still usually beat a fast page with little to say. Treat Core Web Vitals as a way to remove friction, not as a ranking trick. Our guide on whether Framer is good for SEO covers how platform choices affect this.

Where to check your scores

Use more than one source, because lab tests and real-user data can differ:

• PageSpeed Insights for a quick test of one page, including real-user data where available

• Google Search Console for site-wide reports grouped by similar pages

• Browser developer tools for detailed debugging

Start with your homepage, top service pages and any page that receives paid traffic. Include these checks in a wider SEO audit.

Common causes of poor results

The usual culprits are oversized or uncompressed images, hero videos, too many fonts, heavy scripts, chat widgets and tracking tags, and elements that load without reserved space. Cookie banners and late-loading adverts are classic causes of layout shift.

How to improve them

Work in order of impact. Compress images and set explicit sizes, so the browser reserves space. Use modern formats and avoid loading offscreen images up front. Remove scripts and plugins you no longer need, and delay non-essential third-party tools. Limit font families and weights. Then retest on a mobile connection, not just your office broadband. Our mobile-first checklist pairs well with this.

Build speed into the design

Performance is cheapest when it is planned. Restrained layouts, sensible image choices and lean code make a site fast by default, which is one reason we favour Framer builds for marketing sites. Whatever platform you use, agree speed targets before design starts.