Google is rolling out a significant change that could impact your website’s performance and SEO: Interaction to Next Paint (INP). This new metric, part of Google’s Core Web Vitals initiative, will replace First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024. For marketers and web developers, it’s crucial to understand how INP differs from FID and why it matters for your site’s overall user experience.
What Are Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that Google uses to measure the performance of a website. These metrics are: Loading performance (how fast pages load), Interactivity (the quickness of the site to respond to user input), and Visual stability (how much the page layout shifts as it loads). Google then used these metrics to rank websites, and optimizing them is key to the success of a website. In March of this year, Google replaced First Input Delay (FID) with Interaction to Next Paint (INP).
How Is INP Different From FID?
First Input Delay (FID) measures the time it takes for your site to respond to a user’s first interaction, such as a button click or link tap. If FID is low, the website feels fast and responsive at the start, but FID doesn’t account for interactions beyond the first one. As a result, even if the first click is smooth, users might experience lags later on.
This Is Where Interaction To Next Paint (INP) Steps In.
Unlike FID, which only focuses on the first user interaction, INP measures the entire process of interaction, from the initial click or input to when the website visually updates in response to the action. For example, if a user clicks a “Submit” button on a form, INP tracks how long it takes for the confirmation message or next page to appear. INP evaluates all user interactions, not just the first, giving a more accurate picture of the site’s overall responsiveness.
What Does INP Measure?
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) considers three key components to determine how fast and smooth your site’s interactions are:
Input Delay
The time the site spends waiting for background tasks to complete before it can handle the user’s input. If there are too many processes running in the background, this delay can become noticeable.
Processing Time
Once the input is received, the website’s JavaScript processes the interaction. This measures how fast the site handles the user’s action.
Presentation Delay
The time it takes for the result of that interaction to be visually reflected on the screen, such as showing a success message after a form is submitted or updating content after a button is clicked.
Together, these components create a more holistic view of your site’s interactivity, ensuring that the entire user experience—not just the first click—feels fast and smooth.
Why INP Matters For Your Website
Starting in March 2024, Google will use INP to assess your site’s performance, replacing FID as part of Core Web Vitals. Since INP measures the longest interactions on a page, it ensures that all interactions, not just the first one, are consistently smooth. If your website has any slow or delayed interactions, this could hurt your Core Web Vitals score, which may, in turn, impact your SEO rankings.
It’s essential to optimize your site for INP because it’s not just about how quickly the page loads; it’s about how responsive it stays during the entire user session. With INP, Google aims to improve the user experience across the board, so focusing on this metric will help your website stay competitive in search rankings.
How To Optimize For INP
Here are some actionable steps you can take to improve your site’s INP:
Minimize Background Tasks
Background processes can delay user input handling. Optimize or offload these tasks to ensure that your site responds more quickly.
Optimize Event Handling
Make sure your event handlers (the code that runs when users interact) are efficient and run as quickly as possible. This will help reduce processing time.
Improve Page Rendering
Reduce the time it takes for your page to visually update by using techniques like lazy loading, which loads only necessary content first, and deferring non-essential content. This helps cut down on presentation delay.
Test Regularly
Tools like Google’s Lighthouse and Chrome User Experience Report can help you track your site’s INP performance. Regular testing will highlight areas that need improvement and allow you to maintain optimal performance.
Key Takeaways
The shift from First Input Delay (FID) to Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is a big change for Google’s Core Web Vitals. Unlike FID, which only measures the first interaction, INP provides a complete view of how responsive your site is throughout a user’s visit. This new metric ensures that your site is fast and smooth, crucial for user experience and SEO.
INP was rolled out in March 2024, optimizing for this new metric is a new key to maintaining a strong Core Web Vitals score and staying competitive in search results. The sooner you adapt, the better your website will perform.