How Experience Manager Assets can help you optimize your website’s content: The core web vitals guide

In today's highly competitive digital business landscape, user experience holds immense importance. A poorly optimized, buggy, or slow website can significantly impact conversion rates and search engine rankings. Therefore, achieving long-term success for any website requires optimizing the quality of user experience. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or developer, Web Vitals offers valuable analysis to quantify and measure your site's performance. By leveraging Web Vitals, you gain the ability to evaluate user experience and identify areas that require improvement effectively. This, in turn, leads to enhanced overall performance and visitor satisfaction.

In this resource, we’ve discussed everything you need to know about Web Vitals and how Adobe Experience Manager Assets can help you in delivering the superior user experience.

What are core Web Vitals?

Web vitals are standardized metrics that quantify the user experience of a website based on factors that Google considers important. Introduced in 2020, Google's Core Web Vitals consist of three specific measurements related to page quality, page speed and user interaction: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These metrics focus on three aspects of web performance: loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. 

#1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a critical metric that assesses the performance of a web page in terms of loading speed. It represents how quickly the main content of a web page becomes visible after it starts loading. LCP measures the duration it takes for the web page to display its largest piece of content, which could be a video, high-resolution image, or a block of text.

An LCP time below 2.5 seconds receives a "Good" rating, indicating that the content loads quickly and provides a smooth user experience. A time between 2.5 and 4 seconds is considered as "Needs Improvement," indicating that there is room for optimization to enhance the loading speed. However, if the LCP exceeds 4 seconds, it is rated as "Bad," indicating a significant delay in content visibility, which can lead to user frustration and higher bounce rates.

How to improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)?

To improve your Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), focus on optimizing your First Contentful Paint (FCP) as it directly affects the LCP score. Below are the additional steps to improve your LCP:

• Preload fonts with "crossorigin" and use preconnect if the font is loaded externally.
• Use the html image tag instead of background images whenever possible.
• Optimize images for different screen widths and avoid lazy loading for LCP images.
• Preload the image using media queries for the correct screen width.
• Compress images and use modern formats like WebP.
• Specify image dimensions to reserve space and improve rendering time.

#2. First Input Delay (FID)

First Input Delay (FID) is a metric that measures the responsiveness of a web page. It calculates the time it takes for the browser to respond to the first interaction made by the user. Measurable interactions include clicking on a navigation link, tapping a button, choosing from menu options, entering text into a field, or any other action that engages with the website.

To ensure a positive user experience, it is recommended that web pages maintain a First Input Delay (FID) of 100 milliseconds or lower.. This means that the website should respond quickly to user inputs, providing a smooth and interactive browsing experience. A high FID indicates a delay in response, which can frustrate users and negatively impact their overall experience.

How to improve First Input Delay (FID)?

To optimize Core Web Vitals metrics, especially First Input Delay (FID), focus on improving the initial load speed. Here are some key steps:

• Use modern JavaScript, dropping support for legacy browsers and frameworks like Internet Explorer 11 and jQuery.
• Minify scripts and prioritize critical above-the-fold content while deferring the rest.
• Remove non-critical third-party scripts to reduce page weight.
• Optimize scripts by eliminating unnecessary code specific to the current page.
• For larger JavaScript applications, load scripts asynchronously and on-demand to minimize FID impact.

#3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) measures the visual stability of a web page during loading. It evaluates the unexpected layout shifts or how much content elements move around as the page loads. A poor CLS web vital score indicates that the page layout is unstable, leading to a disruptive experience for users.

To obtain a good user experience rating, pages should have a Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) of 0.1 or lower. This means that the content should load in a stable manner without sudden shifts that can confuse or frustrate users. A high CLS score indicates a lack of visual stability, which can lead to accidental clicks, difficulty in reading or interacting with the content, and a poor overall user experience.

How  to improve Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)?

To optimize Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), prioritize a fast initial screen draw and minimize content shifting. Consider the following steps:

• Set height and width dimensions for all image tags to reserve space before the image loads.
• If using display swap for font optimization, ensure the default font size is similar to the final result to minimize layout jumps.
• Avoid using icon font libraries; instead, use inline SVGs to prevent layout shifts.
• Optimize JavaScript message alerts by implementing them inline with modern JavaScript and no reliance on third-party libraries.
• Avoid using pop-ups shortly after the user visits the site to prevent negative impact on CLS. If necessary, delay their triggering for at least 15-20 seconds.
• When serving ads, reserve ad space to prevent content shifting after the ad loads, especially if the ad dimensions are unknown or subject to change.

Additional Web Vitals

In addition to the core web vitals we discussed earlier, there are other important metrics that provide valuable insights into the user experience of a website. These metrics, when measured and optimized, can further enhance the performance and usability of your website. Let's take a closer look at some of these web vitals:

1. Time to First Byte (TTFB): Time to First Byte measures the responsiveness of the web server. It calculates the duration from the moment a user makes an HTTP request to the time when the first byte of the page is received by the client's browser. A good TTFB speed is typically less than 200 milliseconds, indicating a fast and efficient server response.

2. First Contentful Paint (FCP): First Contentful Paint measures the time from when the page starts loading to when any content appears on the screen. It provides the first visual feedback to the user that the page is loading. A good FCP score is typically 1.8 seconds or less, ensuring that users perceive the website as fast and engaging.

3. Time to Interactive (TTI): Time to Interactive evaluates the load responsiveness of a web page, measuring how long it takes for the page to become fully interactive. A satisfactory TTI score is typically 3.8 seconds or less, indicating that users can quickly and seamlessly interact with the website without experiencing delays or unresponsiveness.

4. Total Blocking Time (TBT): Total Blocking Time quantifies a page's load responsiveness to user input. It measures the time between First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Time to Interactive (TTI). A good TBT should be less than 300 milliseconds, indicating that the website is highly responsive to user interactions, providing a smooth and uninterrupted browsing experience.

These additional web vitals, when considered alongside the core web vitals, provide a comprehensive understanding of the user experience on your website. By measuring and optimizing these metrics, you can identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to create a website that is fast, responsive, and visually stable.

The Importance of Web Vitals

Web vitals play a crucial role in delivering a better user experience and improving the overall performance of your website. Neglecting web vitals can result in a negative user experience, leading to higher bounce rates and lower conversions. Furthermore, search engines like Google consider web vitals as part of their ranking algorithms, meaning that poor web vitals can negatively impact your website's visibility in search engine results.

By focusing on optimizing web vitals, you can achieve the following benefits:

Improved user experience: Web vitals directly contribute to a positive user experience. When your website loads quickly, responds promptly to user interactions, and maintains visual stability, visitors are more likely to stay engaged, explore your content, and convert into customers.

Better search engine rankings: Search engines consider web vitals as a factor in determining the quality and relevance of a website. By optimizing your web vitals, you increase your chances of ranking higher in search engine results, driving more organic traffic to your site.

Reduced bounce rates: A website with optimal web vitals provides a seamless browsing experience, reducing the likelihood of visitors bouncing off your site. By minimizing delays, improving responsiveness, and maintaining visual stability, you can keep users engaged and encourage them to explore more pages.

Increased conversions: A positive user experience resulting from optimized web vitals can lead to higher conversion rates. When users find your website fast, interactive, and visually appealing, they are more inclined to take desired actions, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to your newsletter.

To effectively optimize your web vitals, it's important to follow a systematic approach and implement best practices. Here are some key steps to consider:

1. Measure and analyze: Start by measuring and analyzing your website's current performance using tools such as Google Search Console, Chrome User Experience Report, or web-vitals JavaScript library. Identify areas where your web vitals can be improved.
2. Prioritize improvement areas: Focus on the web vitals that have the most significant impact on user experience and search engine rankings. Core web vitals, such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), should be your primary areas of concern.
3. Optimize page speed: Improve your website's loading speed by optimizing server response times, reducing file sizes, and leveraging caching techniques. Compress images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and enable browser caching to enhance overall page speed.
4. Enhance server performance: Ensure that your web server is capable of handling incoming requests efficiently. Consider using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to distribute your website's content across multiple servers, reducing latency and improving response times.
5. Optimize content delivery: Use techniques like lazy loading to defer the loading of non-critical content until it's needed. This helps prioritize the loading of important elements and reduces the overall page load time.
6. Minimize render-blocking resources: Identify and minimize render-blocking resources, such as CSS and JavaScript files that prevent the page from rendering quickly. Optimize their delivery by using asynchronous or deferred loading techniques.
7. Improve mobile responsiveness: With the increasing number of mobile users, it's crucial to optimize your website for mobile devices. Ensure your pages are mobile-friendly, responsive, and provide a seamless user experience across different screen sizes.
8. Address layout shifts: Minimize unexpected layout shifts (CLS) by specifying dimensions for images and other media elements, avoiding dynamically injected content that pushes existing elements, and using CSS animations with proper placeholders.
9. Optimize user interactions: Reduce First Input Delay (FID) by optimizing JavaScript execution, breaking up long tasks, and deferring non-critical JavaScript. Prioritize critical tasks to ensure a smooth and responsive user experience.
10. Continuously monitor and test: Regularly monitor your web vitals using various tools and conduct user testing to gather feedback on the user experience. Identify any bottlenecks or issues that may arise and make necessary adjustments to improve performance.

By following these optimization strategies, you can enhance your website's user experience, improve search engine rankings, and drive better conversions. Remember to regularly monitor and analyze your web vitals to ensure ongoing performance improvements.

How can Adobe Experience Manager Assets help?

Adobe Experience Manager Assets can help optimize your website's content in alignment with web vitals by focusing on key areas that impact performance and user experience. Here's how it can contribute:

1. Content Delivery Optimization: Experience Manager Assets allows you to efficiently manage and deliver optimized digital assets to your website. By leveraging dynamic media capabilities, you can automatically resize, compress, and format images and videos based on the device and viewport. This optimization reduces the file size and improves loading times, directly influencing metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

2. Content Caching and CDNs: Experience Manager Assets integrates with content delivery networks (CDNs) to distribute your assets globally, reducing the latency and improving the Time to First Byte (TTFB). By leveraging caching mechanisms, commonly through CDNs, static assets can be cached closer to the user's location, leading to faster subsequent visits and improved performance metrics.

3. Adaptive and Responsive Design: Experience Manager Assets enables you to create and manage responsive web experiences that adapt to different devices and screen sizes. By utilizing responsive design practices, you can ensure that your content is displayed appropriately across various devices, positively impacting metrics like LCP and CLS.

4. Performance Testing and Monitoring: Experience Manager Assets provides capabilities for performance testing and monitoring. You can evaluate the impact of asset delivery on web vitals by conducting performance tests and analyzing the results. This helps identify areas for improvement and allows you to optimize asset delivery strategies.

5. Content Personalization: Experience Manager Assets enables you to personalize website content based on user segmentation and targeting. By delivering personalized assets to specific audience segments, you can enhance user engagement and satisfaction, indirectly influencing metrics like Time to Interactive (TTI) and First Input Delay (FID).

By leveraging the features and capabilities of Adobe Experience Manager Assets, you can optimize your website's content in line with web vitals. This ultimately leads to improved performance, better user experience, and increased business outcomes.

Conclusion

Optimizing your website's content with Web Vitals is crucial for delivering an exceptional user experience and improving overall performance. Adobe Experience Manager Assets offers valuable capabilities to optimize your website's content in alignment with Web Vitals. From content delivery optimization and responsive design to performance testing and monitoring, Experience Manager Assets empowers you to enhance user experience, improve search engine rankings, and drive better conversions. As an Adobe Gold Partner, Ranosys has the expertise and experience to assist global brands in achieving optimal performance for their website. With our comprehensive knowledge of Adobe Experience Manager Assets, we can help you achieve a competitive edge in the digital landscape.