Why Website Speed and Core Web Vitals Matter More Than Ever (And How to Improve Yours)
- Kanaka Sundhoro
- Jun 13
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Have you ever clicked on a website and waited… and waited… and then just gave up?
You’re not alone - and neither are your visitors.
In today’s web, speed is no longer a “nice to have” - it’s a make-or-break factor for both search ranking and user trust. That’s why Google introduced Core Web Vitals: a set of performance metrics that reflect how fast, stable, and responsive your website actually feels.
In this post, we’ll break down what Core Web Vitals are, why they matter, and how you can improve your website speed without breaking the bank (or your design).
What Are Core Web Vitals, Really?
Core Web Vitals are Google’s way of measuring whether a website feels fast and user-friendly. They focus on three key things:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
How quickly your site’s main content loads. Ideally under 2.5 seconds.
First Input Delay (FID) (replaced by Interaction to Next Paint - INP in 2024)
How quickly the site responds after someone clicks or taps.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
How stable your layout is - e.g. do buttons jump around while loading?
Google uses these to evaluate your website experience, and yes — they affect your SEO.
Why Website Speed Matters Now More Than Ever
Here’s the reality:
Google ranks faster sites higher, especially on mobile.
53% of mobile users leave if a page takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Speed directly impacts conversions — slower = fewer sales or enquiries.
If you’re a service-based business or creative, your site doesn’t need to be fancy — it needs to be fast and frictionless.
How to Test Your Website’s Speed and Performance
There are some free tools you can use today to run a speed test:
⚙️ GTmetrix
🛠️ Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools)
When running the test, these are the things to look for:
LCP under 2.5s
INP under 200ms
CLS under 0.1
Don’t stress about perfection — but do aim for “green” scores where you can.
Do You Need to Be Perfect? (Short Answer: No.)
Let’s be clear: you don’t need a perfect 100 score to have a high-performing, effective website.
Tools like PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse are guides, not goals. They’re designed to point out potential issues — but they don’t see your brand, your customers, or the full context of your website.
Here’s what matters more:
Does your site load fast enough that users don’t bounce?
Can visitors find what they need without getting frustrated?
Does your layout feel stable, intuitive, and easy to interact with?
These are the things real users care about — and so should you. After all, you are building the site for real users.
Often, making small trade-offs in speed to maintain your branding, accessibility, or readability is completely reasonable. For example, if using high-quality images or interactive elements might lower your Lighthouse score slightly but improves the user experience, that’s a win.
7 Quick Wins to Improve Your Website Speed
Here are actionable steps you (or your developer) can take to speed up your site:
Optimise your images
Use modern formats like WebP, compress file sizes, and use lazy loading.
Trim the fat
Remove unnecessary plugins, apps, or scripts you’re no longer using.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Tools like Cloudflare or Wix’s built-in CDN help load assets faster globally.
Minify your code
Compress your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files to reduce load times.
Set proper caching rules
Caching tells browsers to remember your content — fewer requests, faster load.
Eliminate render-blocking resources
These are scripts or styles that delay the initial page display.
Reduce third-party scripts
Tracking tools and embeds can kill speed. Only keep what’s essential.
If you haven’t checked your website’s speed in a while, now’s a great time. Google is watching, but more importantly — so are your customers.
Need help? At Nimble Pixels, we specialise in creating websites that look good, load fast, and feel intuitive. If you’re unsure where to start, reach out for a free performance check or ask us about a mini audit.
Let’s make your site not just functional — but fast and future-ready.
