Project Goal: Enhance website performance by optimizing Core Web Vitals to achieve a score of 90+ and improve user experience, search rankings, and engagement.
Initial Challenges
- Poor Performance Metrics: Initial scores:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 4.2 seconds
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): 350 milliseconds
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): 0.25
- High Bounce Rate: Users abandoned the site due to slow load times and layout instability.
- Low Search Rankings: Poor Core Web Vitals affected Google rankings, reducing organic traffic.
Methodology
Diagnostic Tools Used:
- Google Search Console: Identified URLs with “Poor” or “Needs Improvement” ratings.
- PageSpeed Insights: Analyzed mobile/desktop performance and prioritized fixes.
- Semrush Site Audit: Scanned 100+ URLs to uncover technical SEO issues impacting Core Web Vitals.
Key Optimization Steps
1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Optimization
- Image Compression: Reduced image file sizes by 60% using WebP format and lazy loading.
- Server Response Time: Improved Time to First Byte (TTFB) by enabling GZIP compression and upgrading to a CDN.
- Critical CSS/JavaScript: Removed render-blocking resources and deferred non-essential scripts.
Result: LCP reduced from 4.2s → 2.0s.
2. Interaction to Next Paint (INP) Enhancement
- Code Splitting: Broke large JavaScript bundles into smaller, on-demand modules.
- Caching: Implemented browser and server-side caching to reduce repeat requests.
- Third-Party Script Optimization: Limited non-critical scripts (e.g., analytics) to post-load execution.
Result: INP improved from 550ms → 120ms.
3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) Fixes
- Image/Ad Dimensions: Added explicit
widthandheightattributes to prevent layout shifts. - Font Loading: Preloaded fonts using
<link rel="preload">to avoid FOUT/FOIT. - Dynamic Content Reservations: Allocated space for elements like banners or chatbots.
Result: CLS reduced from 0.55 → 0.0001.
Results
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| LCP | 4.2s | 2.0s |
| INP | 550ms | 120ms |
| CLS | 0.55 | 0.0001 |
| Organic Traffic | +22% | |
| Bounce Rate | -18% |
- Core Web Vitals Score: Improved from 45 to 98 (Google Search Console).
- Business Impact: 15% increase in conversions and 10% higher session duration.
Lessons Learned
- Prioritize Mobile-First: 70% of traffic came from mobile; optimizing for mobile yielded the highest ROI.
- Continuous Monitoring: Regular audits prevented regression after initial fixes.
- Collaboration Matters: Alignment between developers, SEOs, and designers accelerated issue resolution.
Future Recommendations:
- Experiment with incremental static regeneration (ISR) for dynamic pages.
- Adopt predictive preloading for high-traffic pages.
Tags:
