Core Web Vitals sound technical, but the underlying ideas are simple: how fast does the page feel, how stable is the layout, and how quickly does it respond to input?
LCP — Largest Contentful Paint
LCP measures how long it takes for the biggest visible element — usually a hero image or headline — to load. A good score is under 2.5 seconds.
CLS — Cumulative Layout Shift
CLS measures visual stability. If buttons or text jump around while a page loads, that's exactly what this metric penalizes — and exactly what frustrates real visitors too.
INP — Interaction to Next Paint
INP measures how quickly the page responds after someone clicks, taps or types. A page that feels laggy on interaction, even if it loaded quickly, will score poorly here.
Why it's worth caring about
These metrics aren't just a ranking checkbox — they correlate directly with bounce rate and conversion. A technically fast, stable page tends to convert better regardless of what Google does with the score.
