Web Design Inspiration: Curated Awwwards Sites
We're exploring five standout websites from Awwwards and breaking down what makes each one stand out. From structur...
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Google evaluates websites not just based on content, but also on how good an experience they offer users under real loading and interaction conditions. This is captured, among other things, through Core Web Vitals — a set of metrics that measure the real experience of loading, interactivity, and visual stability. They're part of the signals used by Google's ranking systems, but they carry even greater value because they reveal how fast and functional a website actually is for the user.
The three core metrics
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Measures how quickly the largest visible content element on the page appears, such as a hero image or a large block of text. For a good experience, the target is 2.5 seconds or less.
INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Measures how quickly a page responds to user interactions like clicks, taps, and typing. It has replaced the older FID as the official metric. For a good experience, the target is 200ms or less.
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Measures a page's visual stability and any unexpected shifting of elements during loading or use. For a good experience, the target is 0.1 or less.
Core Web Vitals are evaluated based on real user data and the 75th percentile of visits, separately for mobile and desktop.
Why they matter for SEO
Core Web Vitals are used by Google's ranking systems as part of the overall page experience evaluation. They don't work in isolation, and a perfect performance score alone isn't enough to guarantee a high ranking. But when two pages offer equally useful and relevant content, a better overall user experience becomes an additional advantage.
Why they matter even more for sales
Beyond SEO, Core Web Vitals reflect something far more tangible: the real visitor's experience.
- A slow LCP means the user sees an empty page and often leaves before even seeing the product.
- A poor INP means "Add to Cart" seems unresponsive, leading to double clicks, confusion, and abandonment.
- A high CLS means the user accidentally taps the wrong button because the layout shifted — one of the most frustrating experiences on mobile.
In short: speed and stability aren't a technical detail, they're part of the buying experience.
How they're improved in practice
- Compressing images and using modern formats like WebP and AVIF
- Setting proper dimensions for images, banners, and embeds to limit CLS
- Reducing unused JavaScript and using defer, async, or code splitting where needed
- Optimizing critical resources and limiting third-party scripts
- Fast hosting, proper caching, and a CDN where required
- Regular monitoring through PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console
Search Console uses real field data for LCP, INP, and CLS, so it's important not to rely solely on a single Lighthouse test.
The takeaway: Core Web Vitals sit right where performance, UX, and SEO meet. A website that loads fast, responds instantly, and stays visually stable creates better conditions for both the user and overall digital performance.
At DontMatter, performance optimization is part of the development process itself — from architecture and front-end all the way to hosting and ongoing monitoring after launch.
