Failing Core Web Vitals
costs you rankings.
Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking signal. A slow, unstable page loses rankings to a faster competitor — even when the content is identical. We fix the scores that matter.
Three scores. One ranking signal.
Google measures three aspects of page experience. You need to pass all three to get the full ranking benefit.
Largest Contentful Paint
How fast does your main content load? Target: under 2.5 seconds. Most WordPress sites fail this on mobile due to unoptimised images and slow server response times.
Target: < 2.5sInteraction to Next Paint
How quickly does your page respond to clicks and taps? Heavy JavaScript delays responses. Astro ships zero JS by default — interactions are instant.
Target: < 200msCumulative Layout Shift
Does your page jump around as it loads? Ads, late-loading fonts, and images without dimensions cause layout shifts that frustrate users and fail this metric.
Target: < 0.1Audit first. Fix what matters.
We start every engagement with a thorough performance audit — Lighthouse, Chrome UX Report field data, and a manual review of your page architecture. This tells us exactly what's failing and why.
Some issues are quick wins: missing width/height on images, render-blocking stylesheets, unoptimised font loading. We fix those first.
If the root cause is the platform — WordPress themes loading 40+ scripts, page builders adding layout complexity — we'll tell you directly. A targeted optimisation will only go so far; sometimes a migration to Astro is the durable fix.
Either way, you get a clear written report of every issue found, what was fixed, and what the score improved to — before and after.
Common causes of failing scores.
Unoptimised images
Oversized JPEGs where WebP/AVIF should be. Missing lazy loading. No width/height attributes causing layout shift.
Render-blocking scripts
JavaScript loaded in the wrong order, blocking the browser from painting the page until it's all downloaded.
Font loading issues
Google Fonts loaded without font-display: swap, causing invisible text while the font downloads.
Slow server response
High TTFB from shared hosting or unoptimised PHP rendering. Fixed by moving to static hosting on Vercel or Cloudflare.
Heavy JavaScript bundles
Page builders and WordPress plugins shipping 500KB+ of JavaScript that runs before anything renders.
Layout shift
Ads, embeds, and images without reserved space that push content down as they load.
Performance questions answered.
What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are Google's three key metrics for measuring real-world user experience: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) measures loading speed, INP (Interaction to Next Paint) measures responsiveness, and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) measures visual stability. Failing any one of them can suppress your search rankings.
How much do Core Web Vitals affect Google rankings?
They're a confirmed ranking factor in Google's Page Experience signal. A site that passes all three CWV is eligible for a ranking boost over an otherwise equal competitor. More importantly, sites that fail CWV tend to have higher bounce rates — which is itself a negative signal.
What Lighthouse score can I expect after the work?
For sites we rebuild on Astro, Lighthouse Performance scores of 90–100 are standard. For sites we optimise in place (without a full rebuild), improvements of 20–40 points are typical, depending on the starting point.
Do you need to rebuild my whole site to fix Core Web Vitals?
Not always. We start with an audit. Some issues — unoptimised images, render-blocking scripts, missing font display settings — can be fixed without a rebuild. If the underlying platform is the root cause (common with WordPress + heavy themes), a migration to Astro is the more durable fix.
How long does a performance audit and fix take?
A thorough audit takes 2–3 days. Fixes range from 1 week (targeted improvements) to 4–6 weeks (full rebuild). We'll tell you clearly which route makes sense after the audit, before you commit to anything.
Find out what's failing and why.
Send us your URL. We'll take a look and come back with an honest assessment of what's dragging your scores down and what it would take to fix.
Request a Performance Audit →