Google's New Core Web Vitals Metric: A Guide to Optimize Site Responsiveness

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is a metric used by Google to assess a website's overall responsiveness. It measures the time from the initial user interaction, like clicking on a drop-down menu, to when the next frame on the site is painted. A delay in this process indicates poor responsiveness and a negative impact on user experience.

Google has replaced First Input Delay (FID) with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) because FID had limitations in measuring site responsiveness. INP is considered a 'new iteration' of FID and aims to provide a more complete assessment of a site's responsiveness. As a result, FID will no longer appear in your Google Search Console report.

To check your site's INP score, you can use the following tools:

1. Google Search Console: Navigate to Search Console > Experience > Core Web Vitals.
2. PageSpeed Insights: Go to the PageSpeed Insights website, enter the URL or domain you want to check, and click the Analyze button. Then, look under the Desktop tab to find the site's INP score.

To improve INP and enhance website responsiveness, consider the following techniques:

• Address JavaScript-related issues: Optimize JavaScript usage, as it can significantly affect site interactivity.
• Minify JavaScript and CSS files: Smaller files load faster, which can improve INP.
• Break down long tasks: Tasks taking longer than 50 ms should be split into smaller functions to avoid delays.
• Defer code execution: This can help with responsiveness, especially for code that isn't immediately necessary.
• Use passive event listeners: They can improve input readiness by not blocking the page's main thread.

Additionally, monitor your site's performance using tools like Real User Monitoring (RUM) and Chrome's DevTools to identify and address specific INP issues.