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Trying to make your website faster? You’ve heard of Page Speed Score and Core Web Vitals (CWV).
Here is the simple difference and how to use them for optimization.
1. Page Speed Score: The Goal
- This is the overall number (out of 100) you see in tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
- It’s the quick measure of how fast your site is.
- The goal is simple: Aim for 90+. If you hit this, your site is considered fast.
2. Core Web Vitals: The Diagnostics
- These are the specific metrics that collectively determine your Page Speed Score (e.g., Largest Contentful Paint, Total Blocking Time).
- They are your diagnostic tools. If your score is low, check the Vitals.
- Look at the colors: Orange or Red indicates exactly which part of your site (like LCP or TBT) is causing the poor performance.
- You don’t need to memorize technical numbers — just focus your optimization efforts on the metrics colored red or orange.
Where to See the Real Data
Don’t rely only on synthetic tests. Check these sources for real-world user data:
- Google Search Console: Check the Core Web Vitals report under “Experience.” Automatically monitors CWV page by page for whole website.
- Chrome User Experience (CrUX) Report: Provides aggregated speed data from real visitors worldwide.
- Chrome Lighthouse Tab: Run quick tests directly inside your Chrome browser’s developer tools.
The Permanent Fix Strategy
To get a reliable 90+ score and keep it, focus on these four core areas:
- Page Caching
- Optimizing CSS (Loading Time)
- Optimizing Images
- Optimizing JavaScript
Focusing on these will give you a lasting speed boost.
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Want to improve your score today? I have a simple, free PDF checklist to help you optimize those four core areas using only free plugins.
Get the speed optimization checklist here: https://veppa.com/speed/
Also watch Step by Step PageSpeed optimization tutorials: