Understanding Web Performance: Core Metrics That Actually Matter

Page speed has always mattered, but modern performance measurement has become far more nuanced. Core Web Vitals — Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift — give developers a framework for measuring what users actually experience. A site can pass a Lighthouse audit and still feel slow if interactions are janky or content shifts unexpectedly during load. The sites that perform best in search and conversion treat performance as a continuous practice, not a one-time optimization sprint.