In the digital marketing landscape, user experience is the new SEO battleground. With Google’s upgrade to Core Web Vitals 2.0—introducing INP (Interaction to Next Paint) and highlighting TTFB (Time to First Byte)—user-centric performance metrics are no longer optional. They are critical for ranking, engagement, and conversions.
What Are Core Web Vitals 2.0?
Core Web Vitals are metrics that measure real-world user experience across three dimensions: loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability (Google Search Central, 2025).
In March 2024, Google officially replaced FID (First Input Delay) with INP, a more comprehensive responsiveness metric, and began shifting measurement tools to reflect this change (Chrome UX Report release notes, 2024). The key metrics today are:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – how quickly main content loads.
- INP – how swiftly the page responds to user interactions.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – how stable the layout remains during loading.
- TTFB – how fast the server responds before any content begins to load (Brandtonics, 2025).
Why Core Web Vitals Matter in 2025
Google continues to affirm that page experience is a ranking signal (Google Search Central, 2025). Performance issues directly affect user engagement:
- Optimizing Core Web Vitals decreases the likelihood of user abandonment by 24% (HubSpot, 2023).
- According to Chrome UX Report data, as of early 2024, about 46.8% of origins meet the Core Web Vitals thresholds using INP, indicating performance is still lagging on many sites (Chrome UX Report release notes, 2024).
- Only 33% of websites pass all Core Web Vitals thresholds (Ahrefs, 2024).
In short, fast, stable, responsive websites not only rank higher—they convert better.
Understanding the Metrics
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Measures loading speed. A good score is under 2.5 seconds (Google Search Central, 2025).
2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
Measures responsiveness. A good INP is below 200 ms. INP replaces FID for a more holistic view of interactivity (Google Search Central, 2025).
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Measures visual stability. A good CLS score is under 0.1 (Google Search Central, 2025).
4. Time to First Byte (TTFB)
Measures server response. Lower TTFB improves overall load performance and user experience (Brandtonics, 2025).
Real-World Impact of Core Web Vitals
- T-Mobile, after optimizing Core Web Vitals, reported a 60% increase in visit-to-order rate (UXify, 2025).
- 54.2% of websites fail to meet ‘good’ thresholds for LCP, INP, and CLS (NitroPack, 2025).
- Chrome UX Report shows INP reaching ‘good’ status in 82.1% of origins, while overall Core Web Vitals compliance is below 50% (Chrome UX Report release notes, 2024).
Tools to Measure and Optimize
- PageSpeed Insights – Provides metric scores and analysis (NitroPack, 2025; Google Search Central, 2025).
- Google Search Console – Offers historical Core Web Vitals trends and detailed breakdowns (NitroPack, 2025).
- Chrome UX Report (CrUX) and CrUX Vis – Real-user dataset insights, now more accessible via visual tools (UXify, 2025).
- WebPageTest, Lighthouse, and the web-vitals library offer diagnostics for LCP, INP, CLS, and TTFB (Google Chrome/web-vitals, 2025).
Best Practices to Improve Core Web Vitals
- Optimize Media – Use next-gen formats (WebP, AVIF), compress assets, and lazy-load offscreen content.
- Improve Server Response (TTFB) – Use efficient hosting, caching, and CDNs.
- Reduce JavaScript – Minify, defer, and reduce third-party scripts.
- Prioritize above-the-fold content for LCP and performance.
- Stabilize layout – Reserve space for images and ads to minimize CLS.
- Monitor continuously – Use CrUX and Search Console data to track improvements over time.
GEO Considerations for Global Audiences
Regional performance matters:
- In Southeast Asia, slower mobile networks make TTFB and lightweight design critical.
- In Western markets, desktop performance and interactivity (INP) strongly impact user retention.
- For emerging markets, localized CDNs and regional optimization strategies can reduce latency.
Personal Insight from the Field
As Mr. Phalla Plang, Digital Marketing Specialist, puts it:
“Core Web Vitals are not just about speed—they are about respect. When you value your audience’s time and experience, search engines will value your website.”
Note
Core Web Vitals 2.0—LCP, INP, CLS, and TTFB—are now the pillars of SEO and user experience. As of 2025, with many sites still underperforming, optimizing these metrics provides a competitive edge not just in search rankings, but also in engagement and conversions. Remember: great content deserves great experience.
More Read
References
Ahrefs. (2024, March 18). 124 SEO statistics for 2024. Retrieved from https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-statistics/
Brandtonics. (2025, March 9). How TTFB and INP impact your website performance. Retrieved from https://brandtonics.com/blog/google-core-web-vitals-ttfb-inp-performance/
Chrome UX Report release notes. (2024, February 2024). Release notes | Chrome UX Report. Retrieved from https://developer.chrome.com/docs/crux/release-notes
Google Search Central. (2025, February 4). Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/core-web-vitals
Google Chrome/web-vitals. (2025). web-vitals: Essential metrics for a healthy web. Retrieved from https://github.com/GoogleChrome/web-vitals
HubSpot. (2023, October 4). What are Core Web Vitals? (+ How to improve yours). Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/core-web-vitals
NitroPack. (2025, July 1). How to fix common Core Web Vitals issues (2025 guide). Retrieved from https://nitropack.io/blog/post/core-web-vitals-issues
UXify. (2025). Core Web Vitals: Everything you need to know (2025 guide). Retrieved from https://uxify.com/blog/post/core-web-vitals
