Google has for years used Core Web Vitals (CWV) to assess how well websites perform in terms of user experience. In 2024, Core Web Vitals 2.0 was introduced with an important new addition: Interaction to Next Paint (INP). INP is designed to measure how quickly a website responds, which directly affects user satisfaction and your ranking in search results.
In this post we review what INP is, why it is so important for user experience and SEO, and how you can improve your website's INP score to ensure optimal performance.
What is Interaction to Next Paint (INP)?
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is a new metric that Google has introduced to evaluate a website's responsiveness. It measures the time between a user's interaction (e.g., a click, tap or key press) and the next visual update on the screen. In short, it tracks how quickly your website responds when users interact with it.
Previously, Core Web Vitals included First Input Delay (FID), which tracked the delay between a user's first interaction and the moment the browser could respond. Although FID was useful, it only measured the first interaction and not the ongoing responsiveness that users experience throughout their session. INP on the other hand assesses a broader spectrum of interactions and provides a more accurate picture of the site's interactivity.
Why is INP important for measuring responsiveness?
INP is a game-changer for website performance because it reflects how a page behaves in real-world usage scenarios. Previously, a website could pass other performance metrics, but users could still experience delays in responsiveness after the first interaction. With INP, developers and businesses can now measure and improve the overall interactive experience, not just the first point of contact.
A poor INP score can lead to frustration, especially on mobile devices, where users expect fast, seamless experiences. Slow buttons, dropdown menus that do not respond quickly, or delayed scrolling degrade the user experience and increase bounce rate.
How to improve your INP score
To improve your INP score, you should focus on optimizing how your website responds to user input. Here are some practical strategies to improve responsiveness on your site.
Reduce JavaScript execution time
JavaScript is often the main cause of delayed interactivity. Heavy scripts can block the browser from updating content in real time. By deferring non-critical JavaScript or breaking large tasks into smaller, asynchronous operations, you can significantly reduce the time it takes for the browser to respond to user input.
Optimize Event Handlers
Ensure that your event handlers (the code that reacts to user actions like clicking a button) are optimized and lightweight. Large event handlers can hinder responsiveness. By offloading some handling to web workers or optimizing the functions within the handler, you can minimize delays.
Implement Lazy Loading
Lazy loading of assets such as images and videos can free up resources, allowing your site to prioritize interactive elements first. By only loading assets when needed (e.g., when the user scrolls), the page can maintain a more responsive user experience.
Use faster hosting and CDNs
The infrastructure behind your site plays a significant role in responsiveness. Hosting your site on a reliable, fast server and using a content delivery network (CDN) can minimize the time it takes to load and interact with content.
Leverage browser caching
By caching previously loaded assets in the browser cache, returning users can experience faster response times. This reduces the need to fetch resources again and ensures faster visual updates after interactions.
Why INP is important for SEO and user experience
Google's algorithm prioritizes websites that offer excellent user experiences, and the site's responsiveness is a big part of that. A low INP score can directly affect your ranking in search results, as Google continues to place importance on Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor.
Improved ranking in search results
Websites that perform well in Core Web Vitals, including INP, are more likely to rank higher on search results pages. Google's focus is on delivering the best possible experience to users, meaning that responsive pages with fast interactions gain greater visibility.
Better user retention
When your site responds quickly, users are more likely to stay engaged, explore more pages, and complete conversions. Frustrating delays, on the other hand, lead to higher bounce rates and lost engagement opportunities.
Improved mobile performance
With the majority of web traffic coming from mobile devices, optimizing INP is crucial to maintaining a responsive, fast-loading mobile site. Mobile users expect even faster interactions, making INP an important metric for success on these platforms.
Improving your site's performance with Signocore SEO
For businesses using WordPress, tools like Signocore SEO offer excellent solutions to ensure your site is not only optimized for Core Web Vitals but also fully equipped for technical SEO and performance.
Signocore SEO plugin
Signocore SEO focuses on key SEO elements such as metadata, structured data, and IndexNow, so your site is crawled and indexed efficiently by search engines without burdening your site with unnecessary features that could slow it down.
By using Signocore SEO you can:
- Optimize your metadata and structured data for better search engine understanding and ranking.
- Ensure fast and accurate indexing with IndexNow, which reduces the delay between content updates and search engine crawling.
- Avoid performance bloat by keeping the plugin lightweight and focused on the essential SEO tasks.
Read more about Signocore SEO here.
Closing thoughts
The introduction of the Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metric in Core Web Vitals 2.0 has raised the bar for businesses aiming to optimize their websites. By focusing on the full interactive experience rather than just initial load times, INP ensures that websites deliver a fast, responsive experience for users, leading to better SEO rankings and higher customer satisfaction.
To stay ahead, it is crucial to optimize your site's INP score through strategies such as JavaScript optimization, lazy loading, and improved infrastructure. And with tools like Signocore SEO, you can ensure that your WordPress site is technically sound, fast, and ready to rank highly in search results, while delivering a seamless user experience.
