Core Web Vitals and the Page Experience update are a bluff, and it's not going well.

1. CWV: Loopholes, Flaws,
& Endless Delays
Tom Capper | Moz
slideshare.net/THCapper
@THCapper

2. @THCapper
@THCapper
Agenda
The flaws of CWV
What's taking so long?
Does it matter?
What to do next

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The flaws of CWV
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/11/timing-for-page-experience

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Largest Contentful Paint

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https://www.nytimes.com/int
eractive/2021/us/covid-case
s.html

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First input delay

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Remove
links

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Remove
links
Harder
to click

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First
input bait
Remove
links
Harder
to click

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Cumulative Layout Shift

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@THCapper
I’m being silly.

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@THCapper
The CrUX of the matter

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The CRuX of the matter
… we can employ techniques like grouping pages that are
similar and compute scores based on that aggregation …
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/104436075?hl=en

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@THCapper
Clumsy
Weak
Vague

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@THCapper
Agenda
The flaws of CWV
What's taking so long?
Does it matter?
What to do next

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@THCapper
What's taking so long?

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May 2020: It’ll be in 2021
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/05/evaluating-page-experience

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Nov 2020: It’ll be in May 2021
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/11/timing-for-page-experience

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April 2021: It’ll be at least June
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2021/04/more-details-page-experience

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@THCapper
I too miss deadlines

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@THCapper
May 2021:
More clarifications

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Original details
If a page hits the recommended targets for all three metrics,
it passes the web vitals assessment…
https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/104436075/core-web-vitals-page-experien
ce-faqs-updated-march-2021
“
”

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Original details
If a page hits the recommended targets for all three metrics,
it passes the web vitals assessment…
The page experience ranking impact will be the same for all
pages that are in the good range for all Core Web Vitals,
irrespective of their individual Core Web Vitals scores.
https://support.google.com/webmasters/thread/104436075/core-web-vitals-page-experien
ce-faqs-updated-march-2021
“
”

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May 2021: More clarifications

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May 2021: More clarifications
It is not the case that unless you reach the good threshold for
all of the Core Web Vitals metrics, that you have to reach the
threshold to get a ranking boost…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWm6WNkHs90&t=2180s
“
”

35. @THCapper
May 2021: More clarifications
It is not the case that unless you reach the good threshold for
all of the Core Web Vitals metrics, that you have to reach the
threshold to get a ranking boost…
In fact, it's kind of the opposite. You will get a ranking boost
for reaching the good threshold for all pages but beyond that
point, you don't get additional boost for reaching it even
better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWm6WNkHs90&t=2180s
“
”

36. @THCapper
May 2021: More clarifications
It is not the case that unless you reach the good threshold for
all of the Core Web Vitals metrics, that you have to reach the
threshold to get a ranking boost…
In fact, it's kind of the opposite. You will get a ranking boost
for reaching the good threshold for all pages but beyond that
point, you don't get additional boost for reaching it even
better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWm6WNkHs90&t=2180s
“
”

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May 2021: More clarifications

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May 2021: More clarifications

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@THCapper
But why?

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But why?

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But why?

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Mobilegeddon

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More contradictions
https://twitter.com/willcritchlow/status/
1397124133478088704

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More contradictions
https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comment
s/oyp74h/anyone_else_not_buying_cor
e_web_vitals/h7wltwg/
https://twitter.com/willcritchlow/status/
1397124133478088704

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@THCapper
Agenda
The flaws of CWV
What's taking so long?
Does it matter?
What to do next

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@THCapper
Does it even matter?

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https://developers.google.com/search/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/separate-urls

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There’s more to life than SEO(!?)
https://www.portent.com/blog/analytics/research-site-spe
ed-hurting-everyones-revenue.htm

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But there’s also SEO
https://moz.com/blog/moz-qa-migration-case-study

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Discover
• Massive traffic opportunity
that SEOs are sleeping on
• Far more responsive to
speed than organic

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@THCapper
Agenda
The flaws of CWV
What's taking so long?
Does it matter?
What to do next

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@THCapper
What to do next

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Well, what have we learned?

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Well, what have we learned?
… we can employ
techniques like grouping
pages that are similar and
compute scores based on
that aggregation …
-
https://support.google.com/webmasters/thre
ad/104436075?hl=en
1. Prioritise high
traffic pages

70. @THCapper
Well, what have we learned?
1. Prioritise high
traffic pages
2. Metrics can be
gamed

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Well, what have we learned?
1. Prioritise high
traffic pages
2. Metrics can be
gamed
3. But not at the
expense of speed

72. @THCapper
Well, what have we learned?
1. Prioritise high
traffic pages
2. Metrics can be
gamed
3. But not at the
expense of speed
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2020/11/timing-for-
page-experience

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@THCapper
1. Prioritise high traffic
pages

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@THCapper
2. Metrics can be gamed
optimized

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@THCapper
Some less obvious methods:

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Cumulative Layout Shift

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Cumulative Layout Shift
● Use facades for
late-loading content

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Cumulative Layout Shift
● Use facades for
late-loading content

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Cumulative Layout Shift
● Use facades for
late-loading content
● Move unstable
elements below the
fold

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Cumulative Layout Shift

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Cumulative Layout Shift

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Cumulative Layout Shift

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Largest Contentful Paint

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Largest Contentful Paint
● Identify which
element is
“largest”

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Largest Contentful Paint
● Identify which
element is
“largest”
● Reconsider hero
images

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First input delay

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@THCapper
The secret to FID:

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@THCapper
The secret to FID:
Human manipulation.

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First Input Delay
Do I need to click
immediately?

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@THCapper
Fixes : Metrics

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@THCapper
3. But not at the expense
of speed

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98. Thanks!