Martin Splitt Advises SEOs On How They Can Improve Core Web Vitals Scores

SEO experts are concerned about the problem regarding the use of marketing and sales-related apps and plugins on their websites. These functionalities play a huge role in SEO, but they could also slow down web pages and cause a drop in core web vitals scores. Nevertheless, even top SEO experts install these functionalities on their sites to help their users in buying their products.

What Are Core Web Vitals?

The Core Web Vitals are made up of three measurements: first input delay, largest contentful paint, and cumulative layout shift – all of these are parts of Google’s Page Experience score. Page Experience, which is about to officially become Google ranking factor, assesses different factors, including mobile-friendliness, lack of interstitial pop-ups, HTTPS, and safe-browsing.

One of the primary factors that can affect a site’s Core Web Vitals score is site speed, so website owners are pressured to make their sites load faster for their users. However, most e-commerce sites come equipped with functionalities that slow web pages down.

For instance, some e-commerce websites install review, email list, and chatbox functionalities, which all contribute to poor core web vitals performance. This even applies to all third-party apps, themes, and plugins, regardless of the platform.

The situation is really concerning because businesses and website owners receive such low scores, not because it was their fault, but because of those who created the themes, apps, and plugins. Because of this, many people feel that it is unfair for Google to give publishers a bad score just for using third-party apps or plugins, which are essential for the functionality of their sites.

Martin Splitt recently addressed the matter, first focusing on the purpose of Core Web Vitals to give SEOs an idea of how it is from Google’s perspective. He acknowledged how SEOs feel about the use of such functionalities, but he said that the answer for such questions will always be the same.

According to Splitt, the Core Web Vitals are there to measure a site’s user experience, which will let them know whether or not a website is worth sharing with a bigger audience.

So, it does not matter if a website uses functionalities, libraries, or frameworks for whatever purpose. It does not matter to Google if the site has no JavaScript or apps, nor is it important if they use Google tools such as Google Ads, Google Tag Manager, or Google Analytics – if the web page becomes slower because of it, then it would be detrimental to the user experience.

Which User Experience Matters Most?

Although functionalities may slow down a website, there are some that could also improve user experience by helping customers accomplish their goals, such as contacting the company via chat.

Therefore, Splitt said that SEOs do not need to be torn about whether they should implement functionalities on their sites or not. If such plugins and apps can improve the experience for their users, then one should install them on their website.

If publishers do make a decision to implement functionalities, Splitt recommends not to build it in a way that is detrimental to their site.

According to Splitt, businesses and webmasters can still implement functionalities in a way that does not slow the web page for everyone. For instance, a chatbox functionality can provide customers with a great chat experience without slowing the website down. This is done by minimising the effect of chatbox JavaScript and CSS files by adding element attributes that prevent the code from interfering in the rendering.

He said that there is a solution for every issue that negatively affects a site’s Core Web Vitals score, even if it is handling with third-party advertising code.

Despite all this, people still find it hard to implement functionalities without them having a negative impact on their sites because many site owners do not have in-house programmers who can do this for them.

Core Web Vitals Are Not Perfect

Splitt admitted that the Core Web Vitals metrics are not perfect, but he insists that they have to work with it for now. He also added that measuring user experience and site performance is difficult, but he believes that the metrics will evolve more over time.

Give Users A Good Page Experience

Splitt encouraged SEO experts to focus on their page experience for a better Core Web Vitals score. He also gives situations where website owners could improve user experience.

For instance, let’s say that a user is reading an article about a product or service, and all of a sudden, the content shifts down because review stars appear on the top of the web page. Splitt said that this does not mean sites should remove review stars entirely. Instead, one could make extra space for the review stars so that when they appear, they do not push the piece of content down and out of the screen.

Some in the SEO community might feel overwhelmed when fixing their site’s Core Web Vitals issues, but Splitt encourages everyone to try harder. He said that it is not really a complicated problem to solve, and good scores are achievable.

Finally, Splitt offered tips regarding must-have apps or plugins that cause poor user experience. According to him, one thing SEOs can do as a last resort is to ask the app or plugin developers if they can update or fix issues with their apps and plugins.

Work With Top SEO Experts Today!

If you want to get to the top of Google’s Page 1, work with Position1SEO today! We have the UK’s top SEO experts who will help you optimise your website to achieve a high Core Web Vitals score in three simple stages.

Firstly, we will distinguish your site’s current situation by conducting an in-depth SEO audit for free! We will look at your site’s Google Search Console, mobile and desktop page speed insights, site load speed, and more. Secondly, we will highlight the issues found on the SEO audit report and let you choose the tasks you want us to do for you, allowing you to create a bespoke SEO package. Lastly, we will drive your rankings forward by focusing on the ongoing User Engagement.

If you are interested in working with us, dial 0141 846 0114 or email office@position1seo.co.uk.