The world of website optimization is ever-evolving, and keeping up with the latest technology can be challenging for small business owners. Fortunately, Core Web Vitals (CWV) is a relatively simple metric that small business owners can use to measure and improve the user experience of their website. CWV assesses the loading, interactivity, and visual stability of a website, all of which are key components of a successful user experience.
CWV works by measuring the real-world performance of a website based on what the user is seeing. It begins by examining aggregate page metrics such as First Contentful Paint (FCP), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) to measure loading speed and visual stability. These metrics are then compared against thresholds determined by Google, which are used to determine if the website is providing a good user experience.
Fortunately, there are several steps that small business owners can take to ensure their website passes the CWV assessment. First, they should try to reduce loading times by optimizing images and other assets in order to improve FCP and LCP scores. Additionally, they should ensure that any ads, third-party scripts, or other content is properly sized and optimized in order to avoid layout shift. Finally, they should consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to further improve loading times and reduce the risk of visual instability.
Small businesses can also use a variety of tools available on the Google Search Console to help analyze and diagnose website performance problems. These tools provide detailed metrics on the performance of individual pages, which can then be used to identify and prioritize issues that are affecting the overall score. Additionally, the tools can be used to track how score changes over time, as well as any correlations between changes in website performance and changes in user experience.
Along with optimizing the website itself, small business owners should take the opportunity to educate themselves on the use of these tools and the importance of providing a good user experience. Greater insight into the user experience will help them better understand how the website is performing, which in turn can help them make better decisions about how to improve it.
By leveraging tools, understanding Core Web Vitals, and staying informed on the best practices for improving website performance, small business owners can help ensure their website passes the CWV assessment and provides the best user experience possible. With the right approach, small businesses can maximize the performance of their website and remain competitive in an ever-changing online landscape.