Scores vs. real-user data
The four scores come from a lab test: Google loads your page once on a simulated phone or desktop. The Core Web Vitals panel (when shown) is field data from real Chrome users over 28 days — that's what Google uses as a ranking signal. Low-traffic sites often have no field data yet; that's normal.
The three numbers that matter most
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — when the main content appears. Good: under 2.5 s.
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint) — how quickly the page reacts to taps and clicks. Good: under 200 ms.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) — how much things jump around. Good: under 0.1.
What usually fixes a slow site
In our experience the big wins are almost always the same: compress and resize images, remove unused plugins and tracking scripts, turn on caching and a CDN, and move off overcrowded hosting. Start with the top item in "Biggest opportunities".
Questions
- Is this the same as Google PageSpeed Insights?
- Yes — this tool calls Google's PageSpeed Insights API and presents the same Lighthouse results with plain-English explanations. There's a link to the full Google report with every result.
- Why is my mobile score lower than desktop?
- The mobile test simulates a mid-range phone on a slower connection, so heavy images and scripts hurt far more. Most visitors are on mobile, so it's the score to focus on.
- Why do scores change between runs?
- Lab tests vary a little with network and server conditions. Run it two or three times and look at the trend rather than a single number.
- Do you store the pages I test?
- No. The test runs between your browser and Google; we don't save the address or results.
More free tools
SEO Checker20+ on-page checks: titles, headings, canonicals, schema, social tags, robots and sitemap.Google & Social PreviewSee how your page looks in Google and when shared — then copy the meta tags.Website Cost CalculatorAn honest price range for your website, store or app, based on our published prices.