What Are Core Web Vitals and Why Are They Essential to Your eCommerce?

What sets the world’s most successful online stores apart? Beyond a strong marketing strategy and high-quality products, they all share one crucial element: an exceptional user experience. At the heart of this experience are Core Web Vitals, which are key to converting your visitors into loyal customers. 

Developed by Google, these metrics evaluate a website's speed, interactivity, and visual stability. One study found that 53% of users abandon a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Imagine the impact this can have on your sales.

This blog post is your complete guide to Core Web Vitals on e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Adobe Commerce, and Salesforce Commerce. You'll learn what the metrics are, why they're important, and tips on how to optimize them.

Are you ready to transform your online store into a digital storefront that attracts and retains customers? Read on to find out how Core Web Vitals can help you grow your business.

What are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics used to evaluate the quality of a website's user experience. They focus on three key areas: 

● Load speed.
● Interactivity.
● Visual stability. 

By measuring these aspects, Core Web Vitals provide valuable information about how real users perceive a site's performance. In addition, these metrics have a direct impact on your search rankings and therefore your revenue.

Core Web Vitals consist of three key metrics that measure different aspects of the user experience:

1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP measures how fast the largest content item on the page loads. This can be an image, a block of text, or a video. A good LCP means that users can see the main content of your page quickly, improving their overall experience. The ideal LCP is 2.5 seconds or less.

2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

INP measures a website's responsiveness to user interactions. It calculates the time it takes for the browser to respond to user input, such as clicking a button or scrolling. A low INP indicates a responsive and agile website. The ideal INP is less than 100 milliseconds.

3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS measures visual stability. It quantifies how much page content unexpectedly shifts during loading. A high CLS means that page elements are scrolling, which can be frustrating for users. Conversely, a low CLS provides a stable and predictable viewing experience. The ideal CLS is less than 0.1.

Why are Core Web Vitals important?

Core Web Vitals are crucial for enhancing user experience and optimizing your website's search engine performance. Here’s why they matter:

1. Boost conversions: Faster load times and seamless interactions encourage customers to complete their purchases. Research shows that even minor improvements in page speed can significantly boost conversion rates.

2. Enhance user experience: Quick load times, smooth functionality, and stable visuals contribute to a positive user experience. Satisfied users are more likely to return and recommend your store.

3. Improve search engine rankings: Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. Websites that excel in these metrics are more likely to rank higher in search results, driving greater visibility and organic traffic.

4. Strengthen brand reputation: A slow or unreliable website can harm your brand’s reputation. Delivering an excellent user experience fosters trust and credibility with your audience.

Which e-commerce platform offers the best performance in Core Web Vitals?

The e-commerce platform you choose can greatly affect your Core Web Vitals, as each has unique performance characteristics:

● Shopify: Known for its speed and user-friendliness, Shopify generally achieves strong Core Web Vitals metrics, especially for simpler stores. Its straightforward setup facilitates easier optimization.

● Adobe Commerce: While it offers extensive customization options, Adobe Commerce may experience longer load times, potentially impacting Core Web Vitals.

● Salesforce Commerce: A powerful and scalable platform, Salesforce Commerce is geared towards enterprise solutions, which can make optimizing Core Web Vitals more challenging.

In summary, Shopify tends to have an edge in agility and ease of Core Web Vitals optimization. Conversely, Adobe Commerce and Salesforce Commerce offer advanced features but may demand more effort to achieve optimal performance.

How to improve your Core Web Vitals

Improving your Core Web Vitals requires a combination of technical expertise and user-centric thinking. Here are some key strategies:

1. LCP Optimization

● Image optimization: Compress images without sacrificing quality and use appropriate formats (JPEG, PNG, WebP).

● Leverage browser cache: Store static resources locally to reduce load times.

● Minimize resources that block rendering: Prioritize loading of critical CSS and JavaScript.

2.  INP Optimization

● Reduce JavaScript execution time: Minimize complex scripts and optimize their performance.

● Prioritize user interactions: Ensure that important interactions are responsive.

● Avoid long tasks: Break heavy computations into smaller pieces.

3. CLS Optimization

● Use consistent image sizes: Specify image dimensions to avoid layout changes.

● Avoid dynamic content placement: Use caution when placing dynamic content above the fold.

● Lazy load images: Load images only when they are about to become visible.

● Reserve space for ads: Allocate dedicated space for ads to avoid design shifts.

Five tips for keeping Core Web Vitals optimal

Keeping your online store in line with Core Web Vitals standards is key to delivering an exceptional user experience. Here are five practical tips to ensure optimal Core Web Vitals:

1. Conduct regular audits: Regularly audit your website using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and the Web Vitals Chrome Extension to identify areas that need improvement.

2. Monitor performance: Continually track your site's performance using the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console to ensure it remains at recommended levels.

3. Prioritize mobile optimization: Prioritize optimizing the mobile version of your site, as a large percentage of users will access your store from mobile devices.

4. Leverage modern web technologies: Implement frameworks and technologies that promote best performance practices, such as AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), PWA (Progressive Web Apps), and next-generation image formats like AVIF or WebP.

5. Stay up to date: Follow the latest updates and best practices from Google and other trusted sources to ensure your site is always optimized and compliant with current standards.

Take your eCommerce to the next level

Core Web Vitals are critical to the success of any online store. By improving your site's load speed, interactivity, and visual stability, you can provide your customers with a better experience, increase your sales, and rank higher in search results.

Every online store is unique, and so are their needs. At Acid Labs, we understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to optimizing Core Web Vitals. That's why we work with you to develop a customized strategy that fits your business and goals.

Whether you have a store on Shopify, Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce, or another platform, we can help you identify areas for improvement and implement the most appropriate solutions on your platform. Contact us today to find out how we can help you grow your business!