This blog post will explain what INP is, how it affects your search ranking, and what you can do to optimize your website for it. By understanding and addressing INP, you can proactively improve user experience and potentially boost your website’s visibility in Google search results.

Core Web Vitals: The Cornerstones of a Great User Experience

Have you ever visited a website that feels sluggish, unresponsive, or constantly shifting its layout as it loads? Chances are, that website suffers from poor Core Web Vitals.

Think of Core Web Vitals as the essentials for a user-friendly website. Developed by Google, they measure three key aspects of user experience:

• Speed: Measured by Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), this ensures the main content of your page loads quickly, ideally within 2.5 seconds, keeping visitors engaged from the get-go. Think of it as the first impression your website makes – a fast loading time sets the tone for a positive experience.
• Responsiveness: Measured by First Input Delay (FID), this focuses on how smoothly your website responds to user interactions like clicks and taps. Imagine browsing an online store; an ideal FID keeps the experience fluid, allowing you to seamlessly navigate between products without any frustrating delays.
• Stability: Measured by Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), this ensures minimal unexpected layout shifts that can disorient users. Imagine browsing a news website; a low CLS score ensures the layout remains stable as images and content load, preventing you from accidentally clicking the wrong link due to a sudden shift.

Illustrating the Application of Core Web Vitals:

Imagine browsing your favorite online clothing store. You land on the homepage, eager to explore the latest trends. Here’s how Core Web Vitals come into play and enhance your experience: 

LCP ensures the product images and descriptions appear quickly, preventing you from staring at a blank screen. You can immediately start browsing the selection, keeping your interest piqued. As you click on a captivating dress to view more details, FID kicks in. The website responds instantaneously, allowing you to navigate without any frustrating delays or lag. While additional product information loads, CLS prevents any unexpected layout shifts. You can confidently explore different options without accidentally clicking the wrong item due to sudden jumps in the layout.

While a positive user experience is undeniably important, Core Web Vitals offer much more than just happy visitors. Optimizing these three key metrics – loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability – can unlock a powerful trifecta of benefits for your website.

From FID to INP: A Shift Towards User-Centric Responsiveness Measurement

Google Search Console is undergoing a change in how it measures website responsiveness. On March 12th, First Input Delay (FID), the previous metric, will be replaced by Interaction to Next Paint (INP). This signifies a shift towards a more user-centric approach to evaluating website experience.

FID: Focusing on Technical Speed

While FID served its purpose, it primarily focused on the technical aspects of responsiveness. It measured the time it took for the browser to start processing a user’s action after they clicked or interacted with the page. This processing could involve various technical aspects, not directly visible to the user.

INP: Prioritizing Perceived Responsiveness

INP takes a broader perspective, encompassing the entire user experience. It measures the entire interaction cycle, including:

• Processing time: Similar to FID, INP considers the time taken by the browser to process the user’s interaction.
• Visual response time: More importantly, INP measures the time it takes for the first visual change to appear on the screen in response to the user’s action. Imagine clicking a button; INP measures how long it takes for anything on screen to visually react to your click, like a new page loading or an element changing.

By focusing on the user’s perceived responsiveness, INP goes beyond the technical aspects measured by FID. A low INP indicates that users see a quick visual response to their actions, leading to a smoother and more engaging experience. This shift from FID to INP highlights Google’s focus on user experience. By optimizing INP, website owners can ensure a swift visual response to user actions, ultimately leading to improved user satisfaction and potentially boosting website engagement metrics like bounce rate and time on site.

Want to learn more about INP? Check out this informative blog by Google.

About INP Measurement

Measured in milliseconds (ms), Interaction to Next Paint (INP) acts like a window into your website’s responsiveness. Here’s what your score means:

Stellar Performance (Below 200 ms): Congratulations! Your website provides a lightning-fast and seamless user experience. Users will perceive interactions as instantaneous, keeping them engaged and satisfied.

Room for Improvement (200-500 ms): While functional, your website might exhibit slight delays in response to user actions. This can lead to a less than ideal user experience, potentially causing frustration and impacting engagement.

Requires Attention (Above 500 ms): This range indicates a sluggish website, potentially leading to frustration for users. Significant optimization is crucial.

Factors Affecting INP:

• Page Size and Complexity: Larger, more intricate pages take longer to load and respond, impacting INP.
• Number of JavaScript and CSS Files: The more files a browser needs to load, the slower the page’s interactivity, potentially raising INP.

Thankfully, there are ways to optimize your website for better INP! Many online tools, like Google PageSpeed Insights, offer free INP measurement and recommendations.

The INP Advantage for Webshops: A User-Centric Path to Success

For webshop owners, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) isn’t just a technical metric – it’s a key to unlocking success. Here’s how optimizing INP can transform your online store:

Smoother Shopping Experience: By tackling INP, you eliminate frustrating delays for customers interacting with your products and navigating your site. This translates to seamless shopping, keeping them engaged and more likely to complete purchases (conversions).

Potential Sales Boost: Studies show that even a one-second page load delay can lead to a 7% drop in conversions. A lower INP, signifying faster responsiveness, can directly translate to increased sales for your webshop.

Satisfied Customers: A slow, unresponsive webshop is a recipe for frustration and cart abandonment. Optimizing INP creates a smooth, seamless experience, keeping customers engaged and potentially leading to increased satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Gaining Visibility in Search : While there’s more to ranking high on Google than one factor, they definitely favor websites that are user-friendly.  Optimizing for a smooth user experience (including INP) along with other Core Web Vitals can significantly increase your webshop’s chances of appearing at the top of search results. This translates to attracting more potential customers who are happy to browse your site.

Conclusion: Optimizing for a Seamless User Experience with INP

The evolution of Google’s tools and metrics, specifically the shift from FID to INP, presents a crucial opportunity for website owners, especially those in e-commerce, to prioritize user experience. While FID played a valuable role, INP offers a more holistic perspective, placing user experience at the forefront.

By embracing this shift and taking steps to optimize INP, you can create a website that feels genuinely responsive and engaging to visitors. This, in turn, fosters customer satisfaction, potentially improves your search ranking, and ultimately paves the way for the long-term success of your online business.

Written by:  Evelin-Valéria Székely 

About me: With years of experience in the dynamic field of marketing, I specialise in leveraging Google Ads to seamlessly fuse creativity with data-driven insights, ultimately propelling brands to new heights. As a devoted Google Ads specialist, ensuring precise tracking is a non-negotiable priority for me. Staying ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of successful advertising demands continuous learning and adaptation to cutting-edge innovations, like the game-changing feature detailed in this blog. My commitment to staying informed about emerging technologies and features underscores my dedication to delivering optimal results for our clients.