Great rankings collapse without great experience. In 2025, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) replaced First Input Delay, putting responsiveness at the center of Core Web Vitals. Here’s the practical checklist I use in trainings and client sprints.
1) Prioritize meaningful speed. LCP < 2.5s, CLS < 0.1, INP < 200ms. I run field data checks (CrUX, GSC) to target real‑user slow paths—product pages, filters, checkout, or blog templates.
2) Kill main‑thread blockers. Audit render‑blocking JS/CSS, lazy‑load below‑the‑fold, defer non‑critical scripts (chats, analytics), and split bundles. I favor native browser features before heavy libraries.
3) Input responsiveness first. Bad INP is usually caused by long tasks and heavy event handlers. I break up tasks with requestIdleCallback, use passive listeners for scroll/touch, and optimize custom components (accordions, mega menus, carousels).
4) Image discipline. Serve modern formats (AVIF/WEBP), correct width/height, prefetch hero images, and compress aggressively. For ecommerce, I pre‑generate responsive sets to avoid layout shifts.
5) Above‑the‑fold focus. Inline critical CSS for first view and ship minimal HTML first. Skeleton screens are fine—but only if they don’t jitter the layout.
6) Accessibility == conversions. Logical headings, visible focus states, high contrast, and keyboard navigability reduce friction and boost conversions (and are essential for long‑form pages used in AI citations).
7) Design for scanners. Use content blocks: key takeaways, pros/cons, pricing tables, and decision trees. This helps users and increases your likelihood of being quoted or featured.
Team sprint template: 2‑week cycle—Day 1 audit, Day 3 fixes to top 5 templates, Day 7 ship, Day 10 validate field data, Day 14 iterate. Track: % pages with good CWV, cart speed, search impressions, and revenue per session.
Result to aim for: fewer bounces, more scroll depth, and a tangible lift in non‑brand organic conversions. When UX feels effortless, rankings (and revenue) follow.