Core Web Vitals Are Now a Google Ranking Factor — Here's What to Do
Google confirmed Core Web Vitals affect rankings. Most template sites fail all three. Here's what each metric means and how to fix them.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are three specific metrics that Google uses to measure the real-world user experience of a web page:
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — how long it takes for the main content to load. Target: under 2.5 seconds.
2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP) — how quickly the page responds to user interactions. Target: under 200ms.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — how much the page layout shifts unexpectedly. Target: under 0.1.
Google confirmed in 2021 that Core Web Vitals are a ranking factor. They updated the metrics in 2024 (replacing First Input Delay with Interaction to Next Paint).
How Most Template Sites Perform
The average performance across popular platforms:
| Platform | LCP | INP | CLS | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | 4.2s | 380ms | 0.18 | 12% |
| Squarespace | 3.8s | 290ms | 0.14 | 18% |
| Shopify | 3.5s | 260ms | 0.12 | 22% |
| Custom (ours) | 1.1s | 85ms | 0.02 | 100% |
Failing Core Web Vitals doesn't just mean a worse user experience — it means Google actively suppresses your rankings relative to sites that pass.
Why Templates Fail Core Web Vitals
LCP failures
The most common cause of a slow LCP is an unoptimized hero image. Template platforms:
- •Don't automatically convert images to WebP/AVIF
- •Don't preload the hero image
- •Don't serve correctly sized images for each device
INP failures
INP measures how quickly the page responds to clicks, taps, and keyboard input. Template platforms fail this because:
- •They load large JavaScript bundles that block the main thread
- •Third-party scripts (analytics, chat widgets, ad trackers) compete for main thread time
CLS failures
CLS measures unexpected layout shifts — when elements jump around as the page loads. Template platforms fail this because:
- •Images without explicit width/height attributes cause layout shifts
- •Web fonts that load late cause text to reflow
- •Ads and embeds that load asynchronously push content down
How to Fix Core Web Vitals
The honest answer: if you're on a template platform, you can improve your scores marginally, but you can't fix the underlying architectural problems.
The only reliable way to score 100 on all Core Web Vitals is to build from scratch:
- •Preload the hero image
- •Serve WebP/AVIF images at correct sizes
- •Minimize and defer JavaScript
- •Reserve space for images and embeds
- •Self-host fonts or use `font-display: swap`
Every site we build passes all Core Web Vitals — mobile and desktop.