Speed articles: Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed
Core Web Vitals, the PageSpeed score and what they actually measure. A number without an address changes nothing, so we talk about specific files.
What speed scores actually measure
Core Web Vitals are three separate measurements. LCP shows when the main content appears. CLS shows how much the layout shifts while loading. INP measures how long the page takes to respond to the first tap. Google calculates all three from real Chrome user data, so a low-traffic site may have none of them.
The PageSpeed score is calculated differently. It comes from a single lab measurement, so the same page returns a different number on two runs. The score becomes useful when a list of files sits next to it, naming the script or image that delayed loading.
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What does "not enough data" mean in the Core Web Vitals report?
It means your site has too few real Chrome visitors. The Core Web Vitals assessment is based on CrUX — measurements from real people, not a lab test. Until there is enough traffic there will be no assessment, and no amount of page speed work changes that.
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Why is my website slow, and where do I start?
Almost always three things, and almost always in this order: oversized images, render-blocking CSS and JavaScript, and a slow server response. Everything else is detail that only becomes visible once those three are handled.
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What does the PageSpeed score actually mean?
The PageSpeed score is not your site's speed. It is a weighted average of five lab metrics from one run on a simulated mid-range phone with a throttled network. Real visitor experience shows up in field data, and the score varying between runs is normal.
Other areas
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SEO
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GEO and AI
GEO, AEO and AI SEO are one body of work measured by three questions. Here is what each means and what to actually change on the page.
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Security
Certificates, security headers and what a site says about itself for no reason. We demand only what matters to an ordinary website.
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Benchmarks
A score means nothing without a comparison. Here is what ordinary looks like, what good looks like, and what separates them.