Nobody likes a slow website. Visitors get impatient and leave, and Google takes page experience into account when deciding how to rank pages. To measure that experience, Google uses a set of metrics called Core Web Vitals.
The names sound technical, but the ideas are simple. Here is what they mean and what you can do about them.
The three Core Web Vitals
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): “How quickly does the main content appear?”
LCP measures how long it takes for the largest visible element — usually a hero image, banner or main headline — to load.
- Good: 2.5 seconds or less.
- Needs improvement: between 2.5 and 4 seconds.
- Poor: more than 4 seconds.
2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP): “How quickly does the page respond when I tap or click?”
INP measures how responsive your page is to user interactions, like tapping a menu or pressing a button. It replaced the older First Input Delay metric in 2024.
- Good: 200 milliseconds or less.
- Needs improvement: between 200 and 500 milliseconds.
- Poor: more than 500 milliseconds.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): “Does the page jump around while loading?”
CLS measures visual stability. You know the frustration of going to tap a link, only for an image or advert to load and push it down so you tap the wrong thing? That is layout shift.
- Good: 0.1 or less.
- Needs improvement: between 0.1 and 0.25.
- Poor: more than 0.25.
How to check your scores
- PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev): enter any URL to see lab scores and, if your site has enough traffic, real-world data from Chrome users.
- Google Search Console: the Core Web Vitals report groups your pages into good, needs improvement and poor, based on real visitor data.
Always check mobile scores first — they are usually worse than desktop, and mobile is what most visitors use. Every website we build is designed mobile-first.
Common causes of slow websites
- Oversized images. The number one culprit on small business sites.
- Cheap or overloaded hosting.
- Too many plugins, especially on WordPress.
- Heavy page builders and themes that load lots of unused code.
- Third-party scripts: chat widgets, tracking pixels, social feeds, embedded maps and videos.
- No caching.
- Web fonts loaded inefficiently.
Practical fixes
Improve LCP
- Compress and resize images; serve modern formats such as WebP or AVIF.
- Do not lazy-load the main hero image — it should load immediately.
- Use caching and a content delivery network (CDN).
- Upgrade hosting if your server response time is slow.
Improve INP
- Remove unnecessary plugins and scripts.
- Delay non-essential JavaScript, such as chat widgets, until after the page loads.
- Avoid heavy animations and sliders.
Improve CLS
- Always set width and height on images and videos.
- Reserve space for banners, embeds and cookie notices.
- Load fonts in a way that avoids text jumping when they swap in.
WordPress-specific tips
WordPress powers a large share of small business websites, including ours. To keep it fast:
- Choose a lightweight, well-coded theme.
- Use a reputable caching and optimisation plugin.
- Audit plugins regularly and delete anything you do not use.
- Keep WordPress, themes and plugins updated (or let a monthly care plan handle it).
Does speed really matter for a small business?
Yes. Speed affects how many visitors stay long enough to read about you, how many enquire and how well you rank. A fast site is one of the cheapest competitive advantages available.
If your scores are in the red, our technical team can diagnose and fix performance issues on existing websites. Contact us for a speed check.
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