What are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are three Google page experience metrics (LCP, INP, and CLS) that measure how fast a page loads, how quickly it responds to user interaction, and how stable its visual layout is during loading.
Google ranks Core Web Vitals as official page experience signals that affect search visibility. The three metrics are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
LCP measures loading performance by tracking when the largest visible element (text block, image, or video) appears on screen. Google considers an LCP of 2.5 seconds or faster "good," between 2.5 and 4 seconds as "needs improvement," and above 4 seconds as "poor."
INP measures responsiveness by calculating the delay between a user's click, keypress, or tap and the browser's visual response. A threshold of 200 milliseconds or less is "good," 200-500ms is "needs improvement," and above 500ms is "poor."
CLS measures visual stability by tracking unexpected layout shifts during page load (elements moving without user input). A score of 0.1 or lower is "good," between 0.1 and 0.25 is "needs improvement," and above 0.25 is "poor."
For Malaysian businesses competing in search results, optimizing all three metrics signals technical health to Google and improves user experience. Technical SEO providers often audit and improve these metrics as part of site optimization work.