Understanding the Metrics
Core Web Vitals (CWV) are a trio of metrics introduced by Google to gauge user experience on webpages. They focus on:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading speed, ideal under 2.5 seconds.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Assesses responsiveness, with a target under 200 milliseconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Evaluates visual stability, aiming for a score of 0.1 or below.
These metrics, derived from real user data using tools like Google Search Console, serve as ranking signals within Google’s search algorithms. However, CWV distributions often reveal a right-skewed pattern, where most pages perform adequately, but outliers can pull down averages.
The Shift to AI-Driven Search
AI-driven search features, including Google’s AI Overviews, are altering how users engage with content by synthesizing answers from various webpages. Unlike traditional metrics, AI evaluates pages based on relevance, clarity, and user intent, rather than site-wide averages. An analysis of 107,352 pages in AI search results exposes a complex relationship between CWV and visibility, challenging the notion that superior CWV guarantees AI inclusion.
Key Findings from the Analysis
The analysis indicated weak negative correlations between CWV metrics and AI visibility. For instance, Spearman correlations ranged from -0.12 to -0.18 for LCP and -0.05 to -0.09 for CLS. Strong positive links were absent; pages meeting CWV thresholds did not consistently outperform their peers in AI contexts. Instead, poor performers suffered reduced visibility due to low engagement and increased abandonment rates. CWV appears more like a gatekeeper than a competitive advantage, as most pages already meet the basic thresholds.
Implications for SEO Strategies
In the realm of AI search, CWV acts as a risk management tool. The focus should shift from chasing incremental improvements on pages that already perform well to eliminating severe failures on key pages. This approach avoids negative behavioral signals that could hinder visibility. Brands should prioritize content clarity, intent alignment, and authority, as most sites have already cleared CWV baselines, making them mere table stakes.
Measuring and Optimizing Core Web Vitals
To effectively measure CWV, employ tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Search Console’s CWV report. Focus on real-user monitoring rather than lab tests, targeting server response times for LCP, JavaScript execution for INP, and stable layouts for CLS. Tracking performance at the page level helps address the skewed distributions inherent in CWV data.
Looking Ahead
Expect a continued emphasis on content quality and user intent over CWV metrics in the next 6-12 months. Brands that prioritize eliminating severe performance failures will likely see improved AI visibility, but improving CWV beyond acceptable levels will yield negligible benefits. As AI increasingly mediates content discovery, understanding CWV’s role as a risk management tool rather than a growth lever will be crucial.
