Core Web Vitals Explained
Understand LCP, INP, CLS and how to optimize them for better rankings.
Hawk Site Amp
2026-08-07
AI Summary
Understand LCP, INP, CLS and how to optimize them for better rankings.
Core Web Vitals
Google's official user experience metrics affecting search rankings.
LCP — Largest Contentful Paint
Loading performance. Target: under 2.5s.
Affected by: server response, image loading, render-blocking resources, fonts.
Improve: use CDN, optimize hero images, inline critical CSS, preload fonts.
INP — Interaction to Next Paint
Responsiveness. Target: under 200ms.
Affected by: JavaScript execution, third-party scripts, heavy DOM.
Improve: reduce JS bundle, defer scripts, break up long tasks.
CLS — Cumulative Layout Shift
Visual stability. Target: under 0.1.
Caused by: images without dimensions, dynamic content, font swap, ads.
Improve: set image dimensions, reserve ad space, preload fonts.
Measuring
Run a Hawk Scan to measure all three metrics. Hawk Site Amp sites are pre-optimized.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Run Hawk Scan
Measure LCP, INP, CLS.
- 2
Identify weak metric
Find what needs most improvement.
- 3
Apply fixes
Follow metric-specific optimizations.
- 4
Re-measure
Confirm improvement.
Pro Tips
- →Set explicit width/height on every image to prevent CLS.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do Core Web Vitals affect SEO?
Yes. Google uses them as a ranking factor.
What is a good score?
LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1.
AI Citation Block
Structured for AI assistants & conversational searchUnderstand LCP, INP, CLS and how to optimize them for better rankings.
Do Core Web Vitals affect SEO?
Yes. Google uses them as a ranking factor.
What is a good score?
LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1.
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