probably a basic question, but how do you actually improve core web vitals? a site that was migrated last year, for context. what's the step i'm getting wrong? thanks in advance.
First check which one is actually failing, and look at the field data (Search Console's Core Web Vitals report or the top section of PageSpeed Insights), not the lab score. People spend weeks chasing a 100 on the lab number when real users are already passing.
Then by metric:
- LCP: almost always the hero image. Don't lazy-load it, compress it, give it fixed dimensions, and look at server response time if it's still slow.
- CLS: images without width/height, ads or embeds with no reserved space, cookie banners that push content down, late-loading fonts.
- INP: too much JavaScript. Chat widgets, heatmap scripts and page builders are the usual suspects. Remove what you don't use before optimising what's left.
Field data is a rolling 28 days, so don't expect the report to turn green the week after you fix it.
