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Core Web Vitals – Explained for Interns

by with No Comment Advanced Topics

Introduction

Why Core Web Vitals Matter for Interns in SEO

If you’re an intern stepping into the world of SEO, you’re probably hearing a lot about “Core Web Vitals.” But what are they? Why is Google so obsessed with them? And how do they impact your website’s ranking?

Let’s simplify this.

Core Web Vitals are performance metrics used by Google to measure user experience on your site. They focus on speed, responsiveness, and visual stability, and they directly influence your search engine rankings and user satisfaction.

Mastering Core Web Vitals isn’t just for developers anymore. As an SEO intern, understanding these metrics helps you communicate better with your team, identify issues, and optimize content strategy effectively.

🧠 What Are Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals are a subset of Google’s Page Experience signals. They focus on three key metrics:

Metric Full Name What It Measures
LCP Largest Contentful Paint Loading performance
FID First Input Delay Interactivity
CLS Cumulative Layout Shift Visual stability

In 2024, FID is being replaced by INP (Interaction to Next Paint) to better represent real interactivity. Let’s break these down for you.

1️⃣ Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

What It Is:
LCP measures how long it takes for the largest visible content (e.g., an image, banner, or heading) to render on the screen.

Good LCP: Under 2.5 seconds
Poor LCP: Over 4.0 seconds

Why It Matters:
If your site takes too long to load the main content, users will bounce. That’s bad for SEO and conversions.

Intern Tip:
Use Page-Speed Insights or Lighthouse to find your LCP and identify if large images, fonts, or scripts are slowing things down.

2️⃣ First Input Delay (FID) → Replaced by INP

What It Was:
FID tracked the time it took for a browser to respond to a user’s first interaction (like clicking a link or button).

Good FID: Under 100ms

But…

Google is replacing FID with INP because it provides a more complete picture of interactivity.

🔄 New Metric: Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

INP measures the latency of all interactions (not just the first) and how quickly the browser responds visually.

Good INP: Under 200ms
Poor INP: Over 500ms

Intern Tip:
Focus on reducing JavaScript bloat, lazy-loading content, and minimizing third-party scripts to improve INP.

3️⃣ Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

What It Is:
CLS measures how much the layout shifts while your site loads. Think about annoying moments when buttons move after you’ve tried clicking them.

Good CLS: Less than 0.1
Poor CLS: More than 0.25

Why It Matters:
It creates a poor user experience and can lead to accidental clicks, especially on mobile.

Intern Tip:
Always define image and ad dimensions in your CSS. Use tools like Chrome Dev-Tools to identify elements causing shifts.

Core Web Vitals – The Intern’s Easy Guide to Page Performance

Now that you know the basics of Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, and CLS), let’s break down how to actually work with them as an SEO intern. We’ll go step-by-step, keep things simple, and focus on real things you can do even without coding.

🧩 Understanding the Metrics (In Simple Words)

✅ LCP – Largest Contentful Paint

What it means: How long it takes for the main content (like an image or big headline) to show up when someone visits the page.
Goal: Under 2.5 seconds.
Quick Fixes:

  • Compress large images

  • Use faster hosting or a CDN

  • Prioritize loading the important content first

✅ INP – Interaction to Next Paint

What it means: How fast the page responds when a user clicks, types, or interacts with it.
Goal: Below 200 milliseconds.
Quick Fixes:

  • Reduce big JavaScript files

  • Defer scripts that aren’t needed right away

  • Avoid heavy animations or unnecessary plugins

✅ CLS – Cumulative Layout Shift

What it means: Whether stuff jumps around on the page while loading.
Goal: Less than 0.1 shift.
Quick Fixes:

  • Always define image sizes

  • Don’t load ads or videos without a space holder

  • Keep your buttons and text in one place

👩‍💻 Intern-Friendly Steps to Improve Core Web Vitals

You don’t need to be a developer to improve Core Web Vitals. Here’s a 4-step process you can follow:

Step 1: Run a Page Test

Use free tools like Page Speed Insights or [Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools].

Step 2: Identify Issues

See which pages are slow or unstable. Focus on:

  • Large images (LCP)

  • Script delays (INP)

  • Layout shifts (CLS)

Step 3: Suggest Fixes to Your Team

Write down the problems and suggest solutions like:

  • “Image too large – try compressing it”

  • “No width on iframe – causing shift”

  • “Too many scripts – can we defer them?”

Step 4: Monitor the Results

After your team makes changes, test the page again. If the score improves, document it! That’s real-world impact for your portfolio.

🔧 Best Tools for Interns

Here are free tools you can use to check and improve Core Web Vitals:

Tool What It Does
PageSpeed Insights Shows Core Web Vitals and suggestions
Lighthouse Gives a full page audit in Chrome
Web Vitals Chrome Extension Checks metrics as you browse
Search Console (CWV Report) Shows how your site performs for real users

✅ Conclusion: You’re Now a Web Vitals Intern Pro!

Core Web Vitals aren’t just for tech teams. As an intern, you can:

  • Spot problems

  • Suggest fixes

  • Improve rankings

  • Measure performance

It’s a great way to learn technical SEO, improve real websites, and show your value in any team.

Your mission: Run your first PageSpeed audit today. Pick one page. Find one problem. Suggest one fix. That’s how you start.

rank-your-website-to-1st-page-of-google

Top 10 Google Ranking Factors Explained

by with No Comment SEO Skills & Strategy

When it comes to succeeding in the digital world, visibility on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) is everything. With over 200 ranking signals in its algorithm, Google continuously updates how it ranks web pages. However, not all factors are created equal. Some have a massive impact on your ranking, while others serve as supportive signals.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down the top 10 Google ranking factors, explain how they affect your SEO performance, and share actionable tips to optimize each one. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned SEO professional, mastering these elements will significantly improve your site’s visibility and performance.

Table of Contents

  1. Quality Content
  2. Backlinks
  3. Mobile-Friendliness
  4. Page Speed
  5. On-Page SEO
  6. Internal Linking
  7. User Experience (UX) Signals
  8. HTTPS – Website Security
  9. Domain Authority & Age
  10. Technical SEO & Crawlability

1. Quality Content

Why it matters:
Google’s primary goal is to deliver the most relevant and valuable content to users. This makes high-quality content the #1 ranking factor.

What constitutes quality content?

  • Original and in-depth insights

  • Clear and accurate information

  • Use of relevant keywords and semantic SEO

  • Proper formatting with headings and subheadings

  • Regular content updates

SEO Skills & Strategy:

  • Master keyword research to align content with search intent.

  • Learn content optimization techniques using tools like Surfer-SEO or Clear-scope.

  • Implement semantic keyword usage for better topic coverage.

2. Backlinks

Why it matters:
Backlinks remain one of Google’s strongest indicators of trust and authority. A backlink from a reputable site acts as a vote of confidence.

Key backlink qualities:

  • Authority of the linking domain

  • Relevance to your niche

  • Natural and diverse anchor text

  • Editorial vs. spammy links

SEO Strategy Tips:

  • Use white-hat link-building tactics (e.g., guest posting, PR, skyscraper technique).

  • Monitor backlinks with Ahrefs or SEMrush.

  • Disavow toxic links to maintain site health.

3. Mobile-Friendliness

Why it matters:
With Google’s mobile-first indexing, the mobile version of your site is now the primary version it indexes and ranks.

Optimization tactics:

  • Use responsive web design

  • Eliminate intrusive interstitials

  • Test usability across various mobile devices

SEO Skills to Master:

  • Use Google Mobile-Friendly Test Tool

  • Ensure a seamless UX across all screen sizes

  • Improve mobile loading speed

4. Page Speed

Why it matters:
Faster pages lead to better UX and lower bounce rates, which are essential ranking signals.

Tools to test and optimize:

  • Google PageSpeed Insights

  • GTmetrix

  • Lighthouse Audit

Optimization Checklist:

  • Compress images (e.g., WebP format)

  • Use browser caching and lazy loading

  • Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML

Strategic Tip:

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloud-flare to speed up global access.

5. On-Page SEO

Why it matters:
Optimizing on-page elements like meta tags, headings, and images helps Google understand your content more efficiently.

Must-optimize elements:

  • Title tag and meta description

  • H1, H2, H3 headings

  • URL structure

  • Keyword placement

  • Alt tags for images

Skills to Practice:

  • Keyword mapping

  • Use SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math for automation

  • Perform on-page SEO audits monthly

6. Internal Linking

Why it matters:
Strategic internal links help spread link equity, improve crawlability, and establish topical relevance within your website.

Best Practices:

  • Link to related blog posts, product pages, or pillar content

  • Use descriptive anchor text

  • Fix orphan pages (pages with no internal links)

Pro Tip:

Create topic clusters with a central pillar page and supportive blog posts linking in both directions.

7. User Experience (UX) Signals

Why it matters:
Google uses behavioral data to judge content value. Metrics like bounce rate, session duration, and click-through rate (CTR) influence rankings.

UX Signals to Monitor:

  • Time on page

  • Scroll depth

  • Dwell time

  • Pogo-sticking (returning to SERP quickly)

Strategies:

  • Use clear CTA buttons

  • Improve content readability

  • Add multimedia elements (images, videos, infographics)

SEO Tools:

  • Google Analytics

  • Hotjar (for heatmaps and behavior analysis)

  • Microsoft Clarity (free UX behavior tool)

8. HTTPS – Website Security

Why it matters:
Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal back in 2014. It’s a must-have for both security and trust.

What to Do:

  • Install an SSL certificate

  • Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

  • Update internal links to HTTPS versions

Pro Strategy:

Check for mixed content issues that can affect indexing and user trust.

9. Domain Authority & Age

Why it matters:
Older domains with established reputations tend to perform better, though this is not a standalone ranking factor.

How to build authority:

  • Consistent publishing of high-quality content

  • Earn authoritative backlinks

  • Build brand mentions and engagement across the web

SEO Tip:

Use Moz’s DA (Domain Authority) and Ahrefs’ DR (Domain Rating) to benchmark your site against competitors.

10. Technical SEO & Crawlability

Why it matters:
If Google can’t crawl or index your site properly, your SEO efforts won’t pay off—no matter how great your content is.

Key elements of Technical SEO:

  • Robots.txt configuration

  • XML sitemap submission

  • Canonical tags

  • Structured data (Schema markup)

  • Fixing crawl errors and broken links

Strategic Tools:

  • Google Search Console

  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider

  • Sitebulb

How to Prioritize Google Ranking Factors in Your SEO Strategy

While knowing the top 10 Google ranking factors is essential, implementing them efficiently is what truly drives results. SEO is a long-term game, and prioritization is key especially if you’re managing a smaller team or limited resources.

Step-by-Step SEO Prioritization Strategy

Audit Your Website
Start by running a full SEO site audit using tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. Identify technical errors, crawl issues, slow-loading pages, and duplicate content.

Fix Technical Issues First
Broken links, missing meta tags, and poor crawlability will hurt your rankings regardless of content quality. Always begin by fixing technical SEO problems to ensure Google can properly index your site.

Optimize High-Value Pages
Focus on optimizing pages that already get some traffic or rank on page two. Improve on-page SEO, update content, and enhance internal links to boost their performance.

Improve Core Web Vitals
Prioritize improving your Core Web Vitals scores especially Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These are direct ranking signals tied to user experience.

Build Strategic Backlinks
Use content marketing and outreach to earn backlinks to your most important pages. A few high-authority backlinks can outperform hundreds of low-quality ones.

Monitor and Adjust
SEO is never “done.” Use Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 to monitor user behavior, CTR, and rankings. Continuously refine your approach based on performance data.

Bonus: Emerging Ranking Factors in 2025

While the above are foundational, here are a few emerging SEO trends to keep an eye on:

  • AI-Driven Search: Optimize for intent rather than just keywords.

  • E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google is refining how it assesses content quality.

  • Core Web Vitals: Metrics like LCP, FID, and CLS are critical.

  • Voice Search Optimization: Use natural language and answer-focused content.

  • Video SEO: Optimize videos with transcripts, schema, and relevant metadata.

Final Thoughts

Google’s ranking algorithm is a complex, evolving system. However, understanding and optimizing for these top 10 ranking factors gives you a competitive edge.

By mastering core SEO skills like keyword mapping, on-page optimization, technical SEO, and link-building you can not only improve your visibility but also build long-term search authority.

Your Action Plan:

  1. Perform a site audit using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
  2. Identify weak points in your SEO strategy.
  3. Optimize content quality and link structure.
  4. Monitor performance monthly and iterate.

In 2025 and beyond, SEO is not about gaming the algorithm it’s about delivering real value. Focus on these fundamentals, and the rankings will follow.