Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is an important metric that measures the visual stability of a webpage. It is one of the three Core Web Vitals metrics that Google uses to measure user experience. A good CLS score is essential for a website to rank higher in search engine results and provide a better user experience.
If you are a blogger or website owner, you may be wondering how to improve your CLS score. The answer lies in understanding what causes CLS and taking steps to minimize it. CLS occurs when the layout of a webpage shifts unexpectedly during the loading process. This can happen when images, videos, or ads load slowly or when the size of these elements changes during the loading process.
Improving your CLS score involves optimizing the loading process of your website. This can be achieved by ensuring that images and videos have fixed dimensions, using font-display: swap for fonts, and reserving space for ads. Additionally, loading styles before scripts can help improve your CLS score. By taking these steps, you can minimize the layout shift of your website and provide a better user experience for your visitors.
Understanding CLS
Defining Cumulative Layout Shift
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a metric that measures the visual stability of a page as it loads. It quantifies the amount of unexpected layout shift that occurs during the loading process. In simpler terms, CLS measures how much the layout of a web page moves around while a user is trying to interact with it.
CLS is calculated by looking at how big elements are and how far they move during the loading process. It is measured during the five-second window where the most shifting occurs. The score ranges from 0 to 1, with a lower score indicating better visual stability.
Importance of CLS in Core Web Vitals
CLS is one of the three Core Web Vitals metrics that Google uses to measure page experience. The other two metrics are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and First Input Delay (FID). Together, these three metrics provide a comprehensive view of the user experience on a web page.
Google has stated that CLS is particularly important because it can be a major source of frustration for users. When elements on a page move around unexpectedly, users may accidentally click on the wrong button or lose their place on the page. This can lead to a poor user experience and a higher bounce rate.
Improving your CLS score can help improve your page experience and keep users engaged with your content. By minimizing unexpected layout shifts, you can create a more stable and user-friendly website.
Identifying Causes of High CLS
Common Causes of Layout Shifts
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a metric that measures how much the content of a webpage shifts during loading. It can affect the user experience and the SEO ranking of your site. There are several common causes of layout shifts that can lead to a high CLS score. Here are some of the most frequent causes:
- Images: Images that don’t have a fixed size or dimensions can cause layout shifts. When the browser loads the page, it doesn’t know the size of the image and reserves space for it. When the image finally loads, it pushes the content down, causing a layout shift.
- Ads: Ads that load after the content can also cause layout shifts. When the ad loads, it pushes the content down, causing a layout shift. To fix this, you can reserve space for the ad by using a placeholder.
- IFrames: IFrames can also cause layout shifts. When the content inside the iframe loads, it can cause a layout shift. To fix this, you can set the dimensions of the iframe to prevent layout shifts.
- Animations: Animations that change the size or position of an element can cause layout shifts. To fix this, you can use the
transformproperty instead of changing the size or position of an element. - Dynamic Content: Dynamic content that loads after the page has loaded can cause layout shifts. To fix this, you can reserve space for the content by using a placeholder.
Tools for Measuring CLS
To identify the causes of high CLS on your website, you need to measure your CLS score. There are several tools that you can use to measure your CLS score, including:
- Lighthouse: Lighthouse is an open-source tool that analyzes web pages and provides suggestions for improving their performance. It measures CLS as part of its performance audit.
- PageSpeed Insights: PageSpeed Insights is a tool from Google that analyzes web pages and provides suggestions for improving their performance. It measures CLS as part of its performance audit.
- Google Search Console: Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that helps you monitor and maintain your website’s presence in Google search results. It provides a report on your website’s CLS score.
- Chrome User Experience Report: The Chrome User Experience Report is a public dataset of real user experience data on millions of websites. It provides a report on your website’s CLS score and compares it to other websites in your industry.
By using these tools, you can identify the causes of high CLS on your website and take steps to fix them.
Optimizing Content Stability
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is an important metric to consider when it comes to improving user experience on your blog. One way to optimize content stability is by reserving space for dynamic content. This means that you should specify the dimensions of your images, videos, and embeds using size attributes. By doing so, you can prevent layout shifts that occur when the browser has to adjust the page layout to accommodate the content.
Another way to improve content stability is by loading ads and iframes properly. Ads and iframes can cause layout shifts if they are not loaded correctly. One way to prevent this is by reserving space for ads and iframes by specifying their dimensions and aspect ratio. This can be done using the same size attributes as mentioned earlier. By doing so, the browser can reserve the necessary space for the content, which can prevent layout shifts.
Reserving Space for Dynamic Content
When it comes to optimizing content stability, reserving space for dynamic content is crucial. This means that you should specify the dimensions of your images, videos, and embeds using size attributes. By doing so, you can prevent layout shifts that occur when the browser has to adjust the page layout to accommodate the content.
For example, if you have an image that is 500 pixels wide and 300 pixels high, you can specify the dimensions using the following code:
<img src="image.jpg" width="500" height="300" alt="Image">
By doing so, the browser can reserve the necessary space for the image, which can prevent layout shifts.
Loading Ads and Iframes Properly
Ads and iframes can cause layout shifts if they are not loaded correctly. One way to prevent this is by reserving space for ads and iframes by specifying their dimensions and aspect ratio. This can be done using the same size attributes as mentioned earlier.
For example, if you have an iframe that is 500 pixels wide and 300 pixels high, you can specify the dimensions and aspect ratio using the following code:
<iframe src="https://example.com" width="500" height="300" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe>
By doing so, the browser can reserve the necessary space for the iframe, which can prevent layout shifts.
In conclusion, optimizing content stability is crucial for improving user experience on your blog. By reserving space for dynamic content and loading ads and iframes properly, you can prevent layout shifts and improve the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score of your blog.
Improving Visual Stability
To improve the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score on a blog, it’s important to focus on improving the visual stability of the website. This can be achieved by handling fonts and animations and optimizing images and videos.
Handling Fonts and Animations
Fonts and animations can have a significant impact on visual stability. To improve CLS, it’s important to use CSS fallbacks, font-display, and custom fonts wisely.
CSS fallbacks can help prevent a Flash of Invisible Text (FOIT) or a Flash of Unstyled Text (FOUT) when custom fonts are used. The FOUT occurs when the browser loads a webpage and replaces the default font with a custom font, causing a visual shift. On the other hand, FOIT occurs when the browser hides the text until the custom font is loaded. To avoid these issues, it’s recommended to use the font-display: optional property, which allows the browser to decide whether to use the fallback font or wait for the custom font to load.
Animations can also cause visual shifts. To minimize their impact, it’s recommended to use will-change property to inform the browser that an element is going to change, which will help the browser allocate resources accordingly.
Optimizing Images and Videos
Images and videos can also cause visual shifts, especially when they are not optimized. To improve CLS, it’s important to optimize images and videos by reducing their size and using lazy loading techniques.
Lazy loading can help reduce the number of requests made by the browser, which in turn can improve the page load time. It’s recommended to use loading="lazy" attribute on images and videos to defer loading until they are in the viewport.
In conclusion, to improve the CLS score on a blog, it’s important to focus on improving the visual stability of the website. By handling fonts and animations and optimizing images and videos, bloggers can minimize visual shifts and improve the overall user experience.
Best Practices for CLS Optimization
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is one of the Core Web Vitals, which measures the visual stability of a page. A good CLS score is essential for providing a better user experience and improving search engine optimization (SEO). Here are some best practices to optimize your CLS score.
Using CSS Property Effectively
CSS plays a vital role in optimizing CLS. Using CSS properties such as position, width, height, and padding effectively can help improve the layout stability of your web page.
For instance, setting fixed dimensions for images, videos, and other media elements can prevent them from shifting the layout unexpectedly. Additionally, using the transform property instead of top or left can help preserve the layout while moving an element.
Ensuring Responsive and Adaptive Design
Responsive and adaptive design is crucial for optimizing CLS. A responsive design ensures that your website layout adapts to different screen sizes, while an adaptive design provides a tailored experience for different devices.
To ensure responsive design, use media queries to adjust the layout based on the viewport size. Additionally, using relative units such as em and rem instead of fixed units such as px can help maintain the layout stability across different screen sizes.
To ensure adaptive design, use the viewport meta tag to set the initial scale of the page based on the device’s screen width. Additionally, using responsive images that load based on the device’s screen size can help prevent layout shifts caused by images.
In conclusion, optimizing CLS requires a combination of effective CSS properties and responsive and adaptive design. By following these best practices, you can improve your CLS score and provide a better user experience for your website visitors.
Monitoring CLS Performance
Improving the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score is critical for delivering a smooth and frustration-free user experience. Monitoring CLS performance is essential for identifying issues and optimizing web pages. There are various methods for monitoring CLS performance, including leveraging field data and lab data and utilizing the Core Web Vitals Report.
Leveraging Field Data and Lab Data
Field data and lab data are two types of metrics used to monitor CLS performance. Field data is collected from real users, while lab data is collected in a controlled environment. Leveraging both types of data can help identify CLS issues and optimize web pages.
Google Search Console is a useful tool for monitoring field data. It provides information on CLS performance, including the number of URLs with poor CLS scores and the distribution of CLS scores across different URLs. Pagespeed Insights is another tool that can be used to monitor field data. It provides a CLS score and recommendations for improving it.
Lab data can be collected using tools such as Lighthouse and WebPageTest. These tools provide information on CLS performance in a controlled environment. They also provide recommendations for improving CLS performance, such as optimizing images and reducing the number of third-party scripts.
Utilizing the Core Web Vitals Report
The Core Web Vitals Report is a tool provided by Google that helps monitor CLS performance. It provides information on CLS performance, including the distribution of CLS scores across different URLs and the percentage of URLs with good, needs improvement, and poor CLS scores. It also provides recommendations for improving CLS performance.
In conclusion, monitoring CLS performance is critical for delivering a smooth and frustration-free user experience. Leveraging field data and lab data and utilizing tools such as Google Search Console, Pagespeed Insights, Lighthouse, WebPageTest, and the Core Web Vitals Report can help identify CLS issues and optimize web pages.
The Role of CLS in SEO
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a Core Web Vitals metric that measures the visual stability of a website by summing all layout shifts that do not occur as a result of user interaction with the site. CLS is one of the three metrics used by Google to measure page experience. Therefore, it has a significant impact on search rankings.
CLS Impact on Search Rankings
Google considers CLS as a critical factor in determining the user experience of a website. Websites with a high CLS score may experience a drop in their search rankings. This is because a high CLS score indicates that the website is not visually stable, which can lead to a poor user experience. On the other hand, websites with a low CLS score are more likely to rank higher in search results.
Improving User Engagement and Retention
Improving the CLS score of a website can have a positive impact on user engagement and retention. Visitors are more likely to stay on a website that is visually stable and provides a seamless user experience. A high CLS score can cause unexpected layout shifts, which can be frustrating for users and lead to a higher bounce rate.
To improve user engagement and retention, website owners should aim to reduce the number of unexpected layout shifts. This can be achieved by optimizing the loading speed of the website, compressing images, and reducing the number of third-party scripts. Website owners should also ensure that all elements on the page have fixed dimensions and reserve enough space for images and videos to load.
In conclusion, CLS plays a crucial role in SEO and user experience. Improving the CLS score of a website can lead to higher search rankings, improved user engagement, and retention. Therefore, website owners should prioritize optimizing their website for CLS and other Core Web Vitals metrics to provide a seamless user experience.
Advanced Techniques and Considerations
Improving the cumulative layout shift score requires a comprehensive approach that addresses all the factors that contribute to the score. While implementing the basic techniques such as optimizing images, reducing server response time, and minimizing the use of third-party scripts can help, advanced techniques can further improve the score. Here are some advanced techniques and considerations that can help improve the score:
Handling Unstable Elements
Unstable elements such as images and videos that load slowly or have undefined dimensions can cause layout shifts. One way to handle such elements is to use placeholders. Placeholders reserve space for the elements, which ensures that the layout remains stable even if the elements take time to load. Another technique is to use aspect ratio boxes. An aspect ratio box is a container that maintains a particular aspect ratio, which ensures that the layout remains stable even if the dimensions of the element change.
Dealing with Third-Party Scripts
Third-party scripts such as ads, social media widgets, and analytics tools can also cause layout shifts. One way to deal with such scripts is to defer their loading. Deferring the loading of scripts means that they load after the page has finished rendering, which reduces the chances of layout shifts. Another technique is to use lazy loading. Lazy loading means that the scripts only load when the user scrolls to the part of the page where they are needed, which reduces the load time and the chances of layout shifts.
Advanced techniques and considerations are crucial for improving the cumulative layout shift score. They require a good understanding of JavaScript, resources, rendering, transitions, and HTML. By implementing the techniques mentioned above, web developers can ensure that their pages are visually stable and provide an excellent user experience.
Conclusion
Improving the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score of a web page is essential for providing a better user experience. A good CLS score is 0.1 or less, while a score above 0.25 is considered poor. A high CLS score indicates a bad user experience, as it can lead to accidental clicks on the wrong elements, frustration, and a sense of unresponsiveness on the website.
To improve the CLS score, web developers and site owners should focus on reducing the movement of page elements during loading. This can be achieved by optimizing images and videos, using proper dimensions for ads and iframes, and avoiding third-party scripts that affect the layout of the page.
Web developers can also use the Layout Shift Regions API to identify and fix layout shifts caused by specific elements on the page. This API allows developers to specify which elements should be considered for the CLS calculation, and which ones should be ignored.
In addition, web developers and site owners should regularly monitor their CLS score using tools such as PageSpeed Insights or the Performance panel in Chrome DevTools. This will help identify any issues and allow for quick fixes to be made.
By improving the CLS score, web developers and site owners can provide a better user experience, which can lead to increased user engagement, higher conversion rates, and improved overall quality of the web page.
This blog post was created with assistance of Koala AI. Sign up through this link and I will earn a commission to help support the site. Learn more about Koala AI here.
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