Technical SEO

Core Web Vitals

Quick Definition

Core Web Vitals are Google's three real-user performance metrics: LCP (loading), INP (interactivity), and CLS (visual stability). They're a confirmed ranking factor.

In context

CWV pass thresholds: LCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1, met by 75% of users on mobile. Failing CWV doesn't automatically tank rankings, but passing them is increasingly important as Google leans on user experience signals.

Example

Example: a Toronto law firm site with LCP of 4.2s on mobile failed Core Web Vitals; after optimizing the hero image and removing render-blocking JavaScript, LCP dropped to 1.8s and rankings improved within 30 days.

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Related terms

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

CLS measures unexpected visual movement during page load. The 'good' threshold is under 0.1.

ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration)

ISR is a hybrid rendering strategy in Next.js that regenerates static pages in the background after a set interval.

Render-Blocking Resource

A render-blocking resource is a CSS file or JavaScript file that the browser must download and parse before showing the page.

FID (First Input Delay)

FID measured the delay between a user's first interaction and the browser's response. It was replaced by INP as a Core Web Vital in March 2024.

HTML Sitemap

An HTML sitemap is a human-readable page listing the major sections and pages of a site, typically linked from the footer.

Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data added to pages (in JSON-LD format) that helps search engines understand content type — product, recipe, FAQ, local business, article.

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