Why the 75th percentile is crucial for your Core Web Vitals
Fast loading times and a good user experience are crucial for the success of a website. This is where the Core Web Vitals come into play, which measure the user-friendliness of your site. But how exactly do you assess whether these metrics are in the acceptable range? In this article, you will learn why the 75th percentile plays a central role in evaluating and optimizing your Core Web Vitals.
Core Web Vitals explained: The metrics that count
The Core Web Vitals are made up of three metrics: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). LCP measures the time it takes for the largest visible content area to load. INP refers to the time it takes for the user’s next interaction to become visible. CLS measures the visual stability during the entire loading process. These metrics are critical to a positive user experience as they directly influence how quickly a user can feel the page loading and interacting.
Focus on the 75th percentile: what you need to know
The 75th percentile is a statistical measure that indicates that 75% of the measured events meet the defined threshold. Google uses the 75th percentile to evaluate the Core Web Vitals of a website. This means that 3 out of 4 user measurements of the respective key figure must be good for the respective KPI to be rated as good. This is a demanding requirement.
SEO importance: influence on rankings and visibility
Optimizing your Core Web Vitals can have an impact on your SEO and therefore your search engine ranking. Google uses the 75th percentile as a scoring metric to decide whether a page is performing ‘good’, ‘needs improvement’ or ‘bad’ in terms of its Core Web Vitals. This score influences where your website appears in search results. Websites that meet these criteria optimally tend to be more visible and attract more organic traffic. Achieving a good 75th percentile score means that your site is fast and stable – a plus for both users and search engines.
Optimization strategies for first-class Core Web Vitals
Several strategies can be used to improve your Core Web Vitals. Here are some of the most effective approaches:
Improve the LCP: Make sure that your main content loads as quickly as possible. Use techniques such as image optimization, lazy loading and content delivery networks (CDNs).
Optimization of INP: Reduce JavaScript execution times and prioritize user interactions. Asynchronous scripts and the use of web workers can be helpful here.
Reduce CLS: Make your layouts stable by defining dimensions for all images and videos. Avoid using modules that subsequently insert content in order to minimize layout shifts.
Tools such as Google Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights and WebPageTest are useful aids for not only analyzing performance, but also for obtaining targeted recommendations for optimization.
The path to outstanding Core Web Vitals
The 75th percentile of Core Web Vitals is an important benchmark in web performance. It helps you to understand where your website stands and which areas need to be improved. By taking targeted measures to optimize the Core Web Vitals, you can significantly improve both the user experience and your search engine rankings. Stay on the ball, continuously monitor your site’s performance and act on the analyzed data to stay competitive.
