Core Web Vitals 2025: The SA Business Guide

Published: Friday, 21 November 2025 • Reading time: ±8 minutes

Fast, stable pages feel better to use — and they convert better. Google measures this with Core Web Vitals. In 2025, the three that matter are LCP (how fast your main content appears), INP (how quickly the page responds to clicks and taps) and CLS (how stable the layout stays). INP has now replaced FID, which means overall interaction latency is the real focus.

What’s new (INP replacing FID)

If your site “hesitates” after a tap, INP will surface it. Long JavaScript tasks, heavy event handlers and main‑thread blockers are common culprits. The antidote is simple in principle: do less, do it later, or do it off the main thread.

Good thresholds & field data

As a rule of thumb, aim for LCP ≤ 2.5s, INP ≤ 200ms, and CLS ≤ 0.10 for most users. Use field data (real users) to judge success — Search Console’s CWV report and the Chrome UX Report are your friends. Lab tools are helpful for debugging, but don’t stop there. For deeper guidance, see Google’s official overview of Core Web Vitals on Search Central and the in‑depth thresholds explainer on web.dev.

Quick wins (images, fonts, third‑party JS)

Start with your biggest image — usually the hero. Compress it, serve next‑gen formats, set explicit dimensions and preload if it’s above the fold. For fonts, preload the critical files, subset what you actually use, and apply display=swap so text appears instantly. For third‑party scripts, defer or lazy‑init everything that isn’t essential to the first screen. Audit trackers and widgets; keep what earns its keep and remove the rest. A local CDN or PoP that serves South African users close to home also helps.

Reporting with Search Console & PSI

Check the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console to see patterns by page type, then use PageSpeed Insights for page‑level fixes. Track progress monthly and bake these checks into your release routine so regressions don’t creep back in.

(Accessibility tip: if this post includes a graphic, describe it with alt text like “Core Web Vitals report showing LCP, INP, CLS”.)

When you’re ready for hands‑on help, our teams combine Website Design and SEO Optimisation to fix the technical snags and shore up UX. For deeper UX thinking, see our related blog on design choices that improve engagement: Enhance User Experience….

CTA: Want clear, dev‑ready actions for your stack? Request a performance audit and we’ll prioritise the quickest wins for South African hosting and traffic.

FAQPage

Does updating categories boost rankings immediately?

Changes can affect relevance signals, but visibility shifts depend on proximity, prominence, and consistency across your web footprint

Should service-area businesses show their address?

If you don’t serve customers at your location, hide the address and set service areas (Google policy).

How many photos are enough?