Have you been stressing about how to pass Core Web Vitals with your WordPress site? If so, you’re not alone. I personally spent years losing sleep over this before I found the most beautiful, simple solution.
What are Google Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are three metrics that Google uses to evaluate the quality of the user experience on your website. These three metrics are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
LCP measures the loading speed of your website. Today more than ever, users expect your website to load lightening fast and they will bounce from pages that load too slowly. Ideally, your LCP score should be below 2.5 seconds of when the page starts to load.
FID measures how quickly your page becomes interactive. It is recommended that pages have an FID score of 100 milliseconds or less.
CLS refers to how page elements move around when the page is loading. Have you ever visited a slow-loading web page and accidentally clicked on an ad because the page was moving around as it loaded? That’s a CLS problem. Ideally, pages should have a CLS of less than 0.1.
The problem is that many pages do not meet these metrics. In fact, ad-supported websites that rely on cumbersome ad codes to generate revenue can find it almost impossible to meet some of these demands. I know firsthand because I struggled with this for years.
Why do I need to know how to pass Core Web Vitals?
As a content creator, I rely on organic traffic from Google search. Google has made it clear that they favor websites with fantastic user experiences and that they use the Core Web Vitals to determine the quality of your page experience.
Basically, if your website is failing Core Web Vitals, then you are going to struggle in search. It is officially a ranking factor now. That means that no matter how great your content is, you also need to make sure that you have a great page experience.
Content is still King, but Core Web Vitals can overthrow the Kingdom if you aren’t careful.
Where do I start?
Basically, you need to focus on three things in order to pass the requirements:
- You need a website that loads fast.
- You need a website that doesn’t have a layout shift.
Notice that I didn’t mention anything about the FID criteria. That’s because in 2021, Google said that most websites are passing this metric easily. In fact, they indicated that they may soon be adding a different element into the Core Web Vitals.
What do I need to do to pass Core Web Vitals on my WordPress site?
That’s really the most important question, right? You already know it’s important. Now you need to know how to fix the issue.
Over the years, I’ve spent thousands of dollars on developers, themes, plugins and tools to troubleshoot this issue. I’ve worked with some well-known people to try to solve the Core Web Vitals problems that persisted on my primary site. And for years, nothing made even the slightest difference.
Now here’s the funny part: I found the solution entirely by accident.
After my main site reached a certain revenue threshold, I was encouraged to apply for ad monetization networks like Mediavine and AdThrive. I started with Mediavine and it was an unmitigated disaster. I lost a lot of money with Mediavine. However, during the short period I was with them, I adopted their Trellis framework…
…and for the first time in years of trying, I passed the Core Web Vitals with flying colors!
Now, although I am not using Mediavine’s ad network, I am adopting the Trellis framework on all of my websites. It is the easiest and most effortless way to pass the Core Web Vitals.
At this point, you’re probably expecting me to say something about an affiliate link and getting paid for clicks. But I’m not, because Mediavine does not have an affiliate program. They do not compensate people for reviews. In fact, their website states, “affiliate marketing encourages fake endorsement.”
I’m not getting paid for this review whatsoever. Honestly, there are some who say I shouldn’t even publish this because it might give me more competition in the SERPs. But that’s okay.
If you are a WordPress user and you’re stressing about passing your Core Web Vitals, stop. Take a deep breath. Then click on over to the Mediavine website and drop some cash on their Trellis framework. It’ll save you time and solve your headache.
You’re welcome.