How to improve WordPress Core Web Vitals scores

Core Web Vitals are specific metrics Google uses to measure user experience on a website. They evaluate aspects like loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability. On WordPress, optimizing for Core Web Vitals can help your site deliver a better user experience and may boost search rankings.

Core Web Vitals

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): time for the largest visible element to load; aim for 2.5 seconds or less.
• First Input Delay (FID): delay between a user’s first interaction and browser response; 100 ms or less is good.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures unexpected layout movement; target a score of 0.1 or less.

Boosting your Core Web Vitals involves refining various parts of your WordPress site.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

• Image optimization: compress images and set proper dimensions. Plugins like Smush or Imagify can help.
• Browser caching: store static assets on users’ devices to cut load times. Use WP Rocket or hosting tools.
• Minify CSS and JavaScript: shrink file size by removing extra characters. Autoptimize can handle this.
• Lightweight theme: pick a fast-loading theme.

First Input Delay (FID)

• JS minification and deferment: cut down on scripts parsed at load time and delay execution until after rendering. Autoptimize or WP Rocket can set this up.
• Trim slow third-party scripts: find and remove or speed up elements like ads or widgets.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN): serve assets from servers close to your users. Cloudflare or StackPath work well.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

• Set image and video dimensions: declare width and height so the layout won’t jump as they load.
• Allocate space for ads: reserve slots so ads won’t push content down when they appear.
• Avoid inserting above: add new elements below existing content to stop unexpected shifts.