What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are three specific metrics Google uses to measure real-world page experience:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) - how long it takes the largest visible element to render
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint) - how responsive the page feels when a user actually interacts with it
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) - how much visible content jumps around while loading

They matter for two reasons. They're a confirmed, if modest, ranking factor - and, more practically, poor scores usually mean visitors are leaving before they ever see your offer. Fixing Core Web Vitals is often less about site speed in the abstract and more about specific culprits: unoptimised hero images, render-blocking scripts, and ads or embeds that shift layout after load.