Technology7 min
Core Web Vitals 2026: The New Metrics
INP (Interaction to Next Paint) has replaced FID. Learn how to optimize for the latest Google speed metrics.
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Ashraf Kamal
6 January 2026
Speed is User Experience
Google's Core Web Vitals are the definitive report card for your website's UX.
The Big 3
1. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
Target: < 2.5s The main banner/hero image must load instantly. Fix: Preload hero image. Use WebP.
2. INP (Interaction to Next Paint) - NEW
Target: < 200ms When I click "Menu", how fast does it open? Fix: Remove heavy JavaScript from the main thread.
3. CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
Target: < 0.1 Does the text move when an ad loads? Fix: Reserve space for ads/images in CSS.
Passing all 3 gives you a "Good Page Experience" badge in Search Console, boosting rank.
Topics
#core web vitals#inp#technical seo
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Written by Ashraf Kamal
Founder of Smile Fotilo — building websites, running SEO, and setting up AI automation for businesses across India and the US.
