We all know that making Google happy is like pleasing a 2-year-old — it’s dang near impossible.
But there are some things you can do that will help make Google a bit happier with your website — most notably, acing your Core Web Vitals.
Again, what we’re talking about here is just trying to help Google like our website — it’s not guaranteeing any specific results. It just helps Google appreciate that you paid attention to the four pillars of Core Web Vitals.
In the end, we’re not just helping Google, we’re also doing right by our visitors — making our site load fast, pass Accessibility standards, structured properly for SEO, and follow best practices all provide an incredible boost in overall experience for a user.
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So over the next few emails, we’ll talk about the different aspects of Core Web Vitals, one by one, and ensure you understand the importance of each.
If you care to follow along, run your website URL into the page speed test here: https://pagespeed.web.dev/
Let’s get started!
#1: Performance
The first measurable identified in Core Web Vitals is Performance.
The Performance score in Core Web Vitals measures how well your website performs in terms of site speed and user experience. This is part of Google’s ranking factors, and they focus on three main aspects of website performance: loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. The Performance score combines these factors to give you an overall sense of how your website is doing.
Now, if you went ahead and ran your report, you might look at the results breakdown and be totally bamboozled. It requires some advanced knowledge to understand every piece of the results, but we’ll try to break it down in a simpler way:
Loading Speed (Largest Contentful Paint – LCP): This measures how long it takes for the largest piece of content on your page (like an image or a large text block) to appear. A good score means that content is loading quickly, which is crucial for keeping users engaged.
Interactivity (First Input Delay – FID): This measures how quickly your website responds when a user first interacts with it, like clicking a button or a link. A lower delay means your website feels responsive and smooth.
Visual Stability (Cumulative Layout Shift – CLS): This measures how much the layout of your page shifts around as it loads. For example, if images or ads suddenly move text while you’re reading, it’s considered a poor experience. A stable layout that doesn’t shift unexpectedly scores well.
The overall Performance score is a number between 0 and 100:
- 90-100 is considered good.
- 50-89 needs improvement.
- 0-49 is poor.
This score helps you understand how well your website is performing from a user’s perspective and gives you clear areas to improve for a better overall experience.
Just like in grade school, you should always be aiming for a Performance score of 90-100.
If you score poorly, there can be many methods for helping improve it, just depending on the results. It could be your images are too large, your javascript or CSS needs to be deferred, your loading time is too slow, and many other things.
It would require far more explanation to dive into every detail of what could go wrong and how to improve it, but if you would like to have me take a look and provide further insight on your website’s performance, get in touch.
#2: Accessibility
The Accessibility score from Page Speed Insights measures how well your website is designed to be used by everyone, including people with disabilities. It looks at how easy it is for users to understand, navigate, and interact with your site.
This score focuses on making sure that all users, including those using assistive technologies (like screen readers), can effectively use your website and pass some really basic accessibility standards for the web.
Here’s what the Accessibility score measures:
- Text Alternatives for Images: It checks if images have descriptive “alt text” that explains what the image shows, helping users who use screen readers.
- Color Contrast: This considers whether the text on your site is readable against its background color. Poor contrast can make it difficult for visually impaired users to read content.
- Form Labels: It verifies if forms have clear labels so users know what information to provide. Properly labeled fields improve the usability of forms, especially for those using assistive technologies.
- ARIA Attributes: It looks for appropriate use of ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and properties, which help screen readers and other assistive technologies interpret content correctly that isn’t always easily read.
- Keyboard Accessibility: The score checks if users can navigate your site using only a keyboard, as some users cannot use a mouse. This includes ensuring elements like buttons, links, and forms are reachable and usable via the keyboard.
- Headings and Landmarks: Page Speed Insights evaluates if your site uses headings (like H1, H2) and landmarks (like navigation and main content sections) properly, ensuring those who use assistive technologies can navigate your content correctly.
Just like Performance, the Accessibility metric follows the same percentage scores — always wanting to aim for 90-100 for the best experience.
Why does it matter?
Caring about your Accessibility score means that you’re helping your website be a more inclusive experience for all of your users.
So not only is it helping make Google happy, but you’re making everyone happy — and that should always be the driving factor.
Besides that, following accessibility best practices, also aligns with overall best practices in web design. So ignoring Accessibility, will likely hurt the usability of your site not just for those with impairments, but for all.
#3: Best Practices
The Best Practices score in PageSpeed Insights checks whether your website follows general rules that make it safe, secure, and easy to use for visitors. It doesn’t focus on performance or SEO, but rather how well your site is built and if it’s using up-to-date, safe methods.
Here’s a summary of what it looks for:
- Security: It looks at whether your site is secure and using HTTPS (to keep your site secure for visitors browsing). It also checks if your site is free from any known security problems, like outdated technologies that could make it easier to hack.
- Safe Browsing: This checks that your website isn’t flagged for issues like malware (software that can harm your computer) or other harmful activities.
- Modern Technologies: It looks to see if you’re using the latest, most reliable ways to build your site. For example, it checks if your website code uses modern practices that work well on all browsers and devices (phones, tablets, etc.).
- Media Usage: It checks if your images, videos, and other media are displayed in a way that works well across different devices and don’t cause problems, like using too much data or loading too slowly.
- User Experience: It looks for things that make your site easier to use. For example, making sure links are pointing to secure pages and your forms are secure.
With all PSI scores, the Best Practices is ranked out of 100 — if your score doesn’t look good, you’ll definitely want to work on the errors it provides to help get your site up to par.
So, why should you care?
Well, for one, because you want to make Google happy! But that’s not priority — you should care about the Best Practices score because it’s the foundation for creating a stable, reliable, and trustworthy website for your visitors.
And by building trust, you’ll attract visitors who like and enjoy being on your website — which you hope will turn into customers!
#4: Search Engine Optimization
The SEO score in PageSpeed Insights evaluates how well your site follows best practices that help search engines understand and rank your website. While it’s not a full SEO audit of any kind, it focuses on the main key factors that affect search engine optimization and, ultimately, the visibility of your website in search results.
Here’s more specifically what it checks for:
- Title and Description Tags: It checks if each page has a title and a short description. These help search engines know what your page is about and show this info in search results.
- HTTPS: Confirms that your site is served over HTTPS, which is a secure protocol. Essentially, if you have a valid SSL certificate, your site will pass. Google prioritizes secure websites, so using HTTPS is essential for SEO.
- Avoiding Common SEO Pitfalls: It checks that search engines can access all parts of your site, like images and scripts, to properly show your content in search results. It also checks if your page is crawlable, to allow Google to show your website in search results.
Just as in the past 3 areas, the SEO score is calculated as a metric up to 100. The closer your score is to 100, the more likely your site is following these SEO best practices, and the happier you’ll make Google (who wants to make Google unhappy, anyway?).
Why you should care
Your SEO score plays a critical role in how Google discovers, understands, and ranks your website. A high SEO score means your site is optimized to be easily indexed and displayed in search results, leading to better visibility. This is essential for attracting organic traffic (searches from visitors who are looking for what you’re offering), which can drive leads and conversions without relying on paid ads.
Not only is this great for SEO, but optimizing your site also helps overall user experience — meta titles and tags, security, and best practices are all factors that search engines favor.
Ace Your Core Web Vitals
Wrapping up, by focusing on Core Web Vitals, you’re not only aligning with Google’s standards but also enhancing your website’s overall usability. A fast, accessible, secure, and well-optimized site creates a positive experience for every visitor, which, in turn, can boost your site’s performance in search results.
As you work through each of these metrics, remember that the ultimate goal isn’t just pleasing an algorithm—it’s about building a trustworthy and enjoyable website that keeps users coming back.
