SEO - Core Web Vitals
Hello there, aspiring web developers and SEO enthusiasts! I'm thrilled to be your guide on this exciting journey through the world of Core Web Vitals. As someone who's been teaching computer science for longer than I'd like to admit (let's just say I remember when dial-up internet was considered fast), I've seen the web evolve in fascinating ways. Today, we're diving into a topic that's crucial for anyone looking to make their mark on the internet: Core Web Vitals.
Core Web Vitals: What Are They?
Imagine you're building a house. You wouldn't just focus on making it look pretty, right? You'd want to ensure it has a solid foundation, good plumbing, and efficient electrical systems. Core Web Vitals are like these essential components, but for websites.
Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important in a webpage's overall user experience. They're part of Google's Page Experience signals, along with mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS-security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines.
Importance of Core Web Vitals
Now, you might be wondering, "Why should I care about these Core Web Vitals?" Well, let me tell you a little story.
Back in my early days of teaching, I had a student who built a beautiful website. It looked like a digital version of the Sistine Chapel. But when we tried to load it, oh boy! It was slower than a snail racing through peanut butter. Users would leave before the page even finished loading. That's when I realized the importance of not just how a site looks, but how it performs.
Google has made it clear that Core Web Vitals are now ranking factors. This means they can affect your site's position in search results. In the competitive world of SEO, every advantage counts!
Main Metrics in Core Web Vitals
There are three main metrics that make up Core Web Vitals:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- First Input Delay (FID)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Let's break these down one by one.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP measures loading performance. Specifically, it marks the point in the page load timeline when the page's main content has likely loaded.
What can LCP assess?
LCP essentially tells us how quickly the largest content element becomes visible to the user. This could be an image, a video, or a block-level text element.
Boundaries to Measure LCP
Here's a handy table to understand LCP boundaries:
| LCP Time | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0-2.5 seconds | Good |
| 2.5-4 seconds | Needs Improvement |
| Over 4 seconds | Poor |
To optimize LCP, consider the following:
<!-- Optimize your largest image -->
<img src="optimized-hero-image.jpg" alt="Hero Image" loading="eager">
<!-- Use preload for critical resources -->
<link rel="preload" href="critical-style.css" as="style">In this example, we're optimizing the largest image and preloading critical CSS. This can significantly improve LCP.
First Input Delay (FID)
FID measures interactivity. It quantifies the experience users feel when trying to interact with unresponsive pages.
What can FID assess?
FID helps assess the delay between when a user first interacts with your site (e.g., clicks a link or taps a button) and when the browser is actually able to respond to that interaction.
Boundaries to Measure FID
Here's how FID is measured:
| FID Time | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0-100 ms | Good |
| 100-300 ms | Needs Improvement |
| Over 300 ms | Poor |
To improve FID, consider breaking up long tasks and optimizing your JavaScript:
// Break up long tasks
const longTask = () => {
// Long task code here
};
// Use requestIdleCallback to run the task when the browser is idle
requestIdleCallback(() => {
longTask();
});This code snippet demonstrates how to use requestIdleCallback to run potentially long tasks when the browser is idle, improving interactivity.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
CLS measures visual stability. It quantifies how often users experience unexpected layout shifts.
How does Google calculate your CLS score?
CLS is calculated by multiplying the impact fraction (how much of the viewport was affected) by the distance fraction (how far the elements moved).
What can CLS assess?
CLS helps assess how stable your page layout is as it loads. A low CLS score means your page doesn't shift around as new elements load, providing a better user experience.
Boundaries to Measure CLS
Here's how CLS is measured:
| CLS Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 0-0.1 | Good |
| 0.1-0.25 | Needs Improvement |
| Over 0.25 | Poor |
To improve CLS, always specify sizes for your images and ads:
<!-- Specify image dimensions -->
<img src="example.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="Example Image">
<!-- Reserve space for ads -->
<div style="min-height: 250px; min-width: 300px;">
<!-- Ad code here -->
</div>This code ensures that space is reserved for images and ads, reducing layout shifts as the page loads.
Boost Core Web Vitals
Now that we understand what Core Web Vitals are and how they're measured, let's look at some general strategies to boost them:
- Optimize images (compress, use modern formats like WebP)
- Minimize and defer JavaScript
- Utilize caching
- Implement lazy loading for non-critical resources
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Here's a simple example of implementing lazy loading:
<img src="example.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Lazy Loaded Image">This attribute tells the browser to load the image only when it's about to enter the viewport, saving bandwidth and improving load times.
Conclusion
And there you have it, folks! We've journeyed through the land of Core Web Vitals, from understanding what they are to learning how to improve them. Remember, optimizing these metrics isn't just about pleasing Google – it's about providing a better experience for your users.
As we wrap up, I'm reminded of another student I had. She took these principles to heart and transformed her slow, clunky site into a lean, mean, user-pleasing machine. Her traffic skyrocketed, and last I heard, she was running a successful digital marketing agency.
So, whether you're building your first website or you're a seasoned pro, keep these Core Web Vitals in mind. They're your ticket to better rankings and happier users. And who knows? Maybe you'll be my next success story!
Until next time, happy coding, and may your web vitals always be in the green!
以下是繁體中文的翻譯：
SEO - Core Web Vitals
大家好，有志於網頁開發和SEO的熱心者！我很興奮能成為你們在Core Web Vitals這個精彩領域中的嚮導。作為一個在計算機科學教學領域待了比我願意承認的時間還要長的人（我們就說我記得當調製解調器互聯網被認為是快速的时候吧），我見證了網絡以令人著迷的方式進化。今天，我們將深入討論一個對任何想在網絡上留下痕跡的人至關重要的主題：Core Web Vitals。
Core Web Vitals 是什麼？
想像你正在建造一個房子。你會只關注讓它看起來漂亮嗎？你會想確保它有堅固的基礎、良好的管道和高效的電氣系統。Core Web Vitals 就像這些基本的組成部分，但對於網站來說。
Core Web Vitals 是 Google 認為在一個網頁的整體用戶體驗中重要的特定因素。它們是 Google 的頁面體驗信號的一部分，包括手機友善性、安全瀏覽、HTTPS 安全性和侵入性插頁指南。
Core Web Vitals 的重要性
現在，你可能會想，“我為什麼應該關心這些 Core Web Vitals？”好吧，讓我給你講一個小故事。
在我教學的早期，我有一個學生建造了一個美麗的網站。它看起來就像西斯廷教堂的數字版本。但我們嘗試加載它時，哦，天啊！它比在花生醬中競賽的蝸牛還慢。用戶會在頁面甚至還沒有完成加載之前就離開。那時我意識到，網站的外觀固然重要，但其性能也很重要。
Google 已經明確表示，Core Web Vitals 现在是排名因素。這意味著它們可以影響你網站在搜索結果中的位置。在競爭激烈的 SEO 世界中，每個優勢都很重要！
Core Web Vitals 的主要指標
構成 Core Web Vitals 的有三個主要指標：
- 最大內容繪製時間 (LCP)
- 首次輸入延遲 (FID)
- 總體佈局移動 (CLS)
讓我們一一來解析它們。
最大內容繪製時間 (LCP)
LCP 衡量加載性能。具體來說，它標記在頁面加載時間線上，當頁面的主要內容很可能已經加載的點。
LCP 能評估什麼？
LCP 本質上告訴我們最大的內容元素多快對用戶可見。這可能是一張圖片、一個視頻或一個區塊級文本元素。
如何衡量 LCP 的邊界
以下是一個方便的表格來理解 LCP 的邊界：
| LCP 時間 | 評分 |
|---|---|
| 0-2.5 秒 | 良好 |
| 2.5-4 秒 | 需改善 |
| 過 4 秒 | 差 |
為了優化 LCP，請考慮以下做法：
<!-- 優化你的最大圖片 -->
<img src="optimized-hero-image.jpg" alt="Hero Image" loading="eager">
<!-- 使用預加載對關鍵資源 -->
<link rel="preload" href="critical-style.css" as="style">在這個例子中，我們正在優化最大的圖片和預加載關鍵 CSS。這可以顯著提高 LCP。
首次輸入延遲 (FID)
FID 衡量互動性。它量化了用戶在嘗試與不響應的頁面互動時的體驗。
FID 能評估什麼？
FID 有助於評估從用戶首次與你的網站互動（例如，點擊一個鏈接或按下一個按鈕）到瀏覽器實際能夠回應那次互動之間的延遲。
如何衡量 FID
以下是如何衡量 FID：
| FID 時間 | 評分 |
|---|---|
| 0-100 毫秒 | 良好 |
| 100-300 毫秒 | 需改善 |
| 過 300 毫秒 | 差 |
為了提高 FID，請考慮分解長任務並優化你的 JavaScript：
// 分解長任務
const longTask = () => {
// 長任務代碼在這裡
};
// 使用 requestIdleCallback 在瀏覽器閒置時運行任務
requestIdleCallback(() => {
longTask();
});這段代碼示例展示了如何使用 requestIdleCallback 在瀏覽器閒置時運行可能很長的任務，提高互動性。
總體佈局移動 (CLS)
CLS 衡量視覺穩定性。它量化了用戶經歷意外佈局移動的頻率。
Google 如何計算你的 CLS 分數？
CLS 是通過將影響係數（視窗受影響的部分）乘以距離係數（元素移動的距離）來計算的。
CLS 能評估什麼？
CLS 有助於評估頁面佈局在加載時的穩定性。低 CLS 分數意味著你的頁面在新元素加載時不會移動，為用戶提供更好的體驗。
如何衡量 CLS
以下是如何衡量 CLS：
| CLS 分數 | 評分 |
|---|---|
| 0-0.1 | 良好 |
| 0.1-0.25 | 需改善 |
| 過 0.25 | 差 |
為了提高 CLS，請始終為你的圖片和廣告指定大小：
<!-- 指定圖片尺寸 -->
<img src="example.jpg" width="640" height="360" alt="Example Image">
<!-- 預留廣告空間 -->
<div style="min-height: 250px; min-width: 300px;">
<!-- 廣告代碼在這裡 -->
</div>這段代碼確保為圖片和廣告預留空間，減少頁面加載時的佈局移動。
提高 Core Web Vitals
現在我們了解了 Core Web Vitals 是什麼以及如何衡量它們，讓我們看看一些提高它們的一般策略：
- 優化圖片（壓縮，使用現代格式，如 WebP）
- 最小化和延遲 JavaScript
- 利用緩存
- 對非關鍵資源實施懶加載
- 使用內容分發網絡 (CDN)
以下是一個實施懶加載的簡單示例：
<img src="example.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="Lazy Loaded Image">這個屬性告訴瀏覽器只在圖片即將進入視窗時加載圖片，節省帶寬並提高加載時間。
結論
好了，各位，我們已經穿越了 Core Web Vitals 的領土，從了解它們是什麼到學習如何改善它們。請記住，優化這些度量不僅僅是為了讓 Google 準則滿意——這是為了為你的用戶提供更好的體驗。
當我們結束時，我想起了我另一個學生。她認真對待這些原則，將她那個緩慢、笨重的網站變成了一個精瘦、用戶喜愛的機器。她的流量猛增，最後一次聽說，她正在經營一家成功的數字營銷機構。
所以，無論你是第一次建造網站還是經驗豐富的老手，都要記住這些 Core Web Vitals。它們是通往更好排名和更滿意用戶的門票。誰知道呢？也許你會成為我的下一個成功故事！
下次見，快樂編程，願你的網站性能永遠綠意盎然！
Credits: Image by storyset