Core Web Vitals 2025: What's Changed and How to Adapt

Google's Core Web Vitals have evolved significantly, with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) now replacing First Input Delay (FID) as a core metric. This guide covers everything you need to know to optimize for the 2025 standards.

The New Core Web Vitals Metrics

As of March 2024, the three Core Web Vitals are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Should occur within 2.5 seconds
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Should be 200ms or less
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Should be 0.1 or less

Understanding INP

INP measures the responsiveness of your page throughout the entire user session, not just the first interaction. This makes it a more comprehensive metric than FID.

To optimize INP:

• Reduce JavaScript execution time
• Break up long tasks into smaller chunks
• Use web workers for heavy computations
• Implement proper event delegation

LCP Optimization Strategies

The Largest Contentful Paint is often the most impactful metric. Common optimizations include:

• Preload critical images and fonts
• Use next-gen image formats (WebP, AVIF)
• Implement proper image sizing and responsive images
• Optimize server response times
• Use a CDN for static assets

Preventing Layout Shifts

CLS issues are often caused by:

• Images without dimensions
• Ads and embeds that load late
• Web fonts causing FOIT/FOUT
• Dynamic content insertion

Tools for Measuring Core Web Vitals

• Google PageSpeed Insights
• Chrome DevTools Performance panel
• Google Search Console Core Web Vitals report
• Web Vitals Chrome extension
• Lighthouse

Key Takeaways

Core Web Vitals remain a confirmed ranking factor. Focus on INP optimization as the newest and often most challenging metric to improve. Regular monitoring and iterative improvements are essential for maintaining good scores.