Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are a set of specific, measurable page-experience metrics Google uses to evaluate loading performance, visual stability, and interactivity — currently Largest Contentful Paint, Cumulative Layout Shift, and Interaction to Next Paint.
Updated
November 12, 2026
Category
SEO Glossary
Each metric targets a different part of the user experience: Largest Contentful Paint measures how long the main content takes to load and become visible; Cumulative Layout Shift measures how much visible elements unexpectedly jump around as a page loads (a classic frustration when an ad loads late and pushes a button you were about to tap); Interaction to Next Paint (which replaced First Input Delay in 2024) measures how responsive a page feels to actual clicks and taps throughout the visit, not just the first one. Core Web Vitals are a confirmed, if relatively minor, ranking factor — Google has been explicit that they're a tiebreaker among otherwise similarly relevant and high-quality content, not a factor that overrides a page's actual relevance. Scores can be checked via Google Search Console's Core Web Vitals report (real user field data) or PageSpeed Insights (lab data).
Example
A site's Search Console report flags 40% of URLs as 'Needs Improvement' on Cumulative Layout Shift, traced to an ad unit that loads after the page's initial render and pushes content down.
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