Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google's three field metrics for page experience: Largest Contentful Paint (loading, good under 2.5 seconds), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness, good under 200 milliseconds), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability, good under 0.1).
The three metrics measure what a visitor actually feels: how fast the main content appears (LCP), how quickly the page reacts when they tap or click (INP), and whether things jump around while loading (CLS). Google reports them from real Chrome users, so lab scores and field data can disagree.
For small-business sites, the usual offenders are heavy themes and page builders (LCP), too much JavaScript (INP), and images without reserved space (CLS). The fixes are engineering work, not settings, which is why speed lives inside our web and migration services rather than being sold as a magic plugin.
One honest caveat: Core Web Vitals matter for users first and rankings second. Google uses page experience as one signal among many; a fast page with weak content still loses to a slower page that answers the question better.