Core Web Vitals 2.0: What’s Next for Technical SEO

This article explores core web vitals 2.0: what’s next for technical seo with practical strategies, case studies, and insights for modern SEO and AEO.

September 7, 2025

Core Web Vitals 2.0: What's Next for Technical SEO

Introduction: The Evolution of User Experience Metrics

Google's Core Web Vitals have revolutionized how we approach technical SEO since their introduction. These user-centered metrics have shifted the focus from purely technical benchmarks to actual user experience measurements. As we look toward the future, understanding where Core Web Vitals are heading is crucial for any SEO professional, web developer, or site owner who wants to maintain competitive advantage in search rankings.

At Webbb.ai, we've been tracking the evolution of these metrics across hundreds of client sites, and we're already seeing signs of what Google might introduce in Core Web Vitals 2.0. This comprehensive guide will explore the potential future directions of these critical metrics and how you can prepare your website for the next evolution in user experience measurement.

The Current Core Web Vitals Landscape

Before we look to the future, let's briefly review the current Core Web Vitals that have become essential ranking factors:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP measures loading performance and should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading. This metric identifies when the largest content element in the viewport becomes visible to users.

First Input Delay (FID)

FID measures interactivity and should be less than 100 milliseconds. This metric quantifies users' first impression of your site's responsiveness when trying to interact with unloaded pages.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS measures visual stability and should be less than 0.1. This metric quantifies how much visible content shifts unexpectedly during the loading process.

These three metrics represent the core of Google's current user experience measurement, but they're far from perfect. As technology evolves and user expectations change, Google will inevitably expand and refine these metrics.

Limitations of the Current Core Web Vitals

While the current Core Web Vitals provide valuable insights, they have several limitations that Google will likely address in future iterations:

1. Mobile-Specific Challenges

The current metrics don't adequately account for the unique challenges of mobile devices, particularly varying network conditions and hardware capabilities across different price points and regions.

2. Above-the-Fold Bias

Current metrics primarily focus on content that appears in the initial viewport, potentially overlooking user experience with content that appears further down the page.

3. Interaction Beyond First Input

FID only measures the first interaction, but users engage with pages through multiple interactions, each of which contributes to the overall experience.

4. Accessibility Considerations

The current metrics don't directly account for accessibility factors that significantly impact user experience for people with disabilities.

5. Content-Type Nuances

Different types of content (e.g., e-commerce product pages vs. long-form articles) may require different user experience measurement approaches.

Predicting Core Web Vitals 2.0: New Metrics on the Horizon

Based on Google's research, patent filings, and statements from their Web Vitals team, we can make educated predictions about what Core Web Vitals 2.0 might include:

1. Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

INP is already being positioned as a replacement for FID. While FID measures only the first interaction, INP measures all interactions throughout the page's lifecycle, providing a more comprehensive view of responsiveness.

INP records the latency of all click, tap, and keyboard interactions during a user's visit to a page, then returns the worst latency (excluding outliers). A good INP is below 200 milliseconds, while anything above 500 milliseconds needs improvement.

2. Smoothness Metrics

Google is experimenting with metrics that quantify the smoothness of animations and scrolling. As sites incorporate more interactive elements and animations, ensuring these don't degrade user experience becomes crucial.

Potential smoothness metrics might measure:

  • Animation frame rates
  • Scroll jank
  • Transition smoothness

3. Energy Consumption Metrics

With growing emphasis on sustainability and battery life on mobile devices, Google might introduce metrics that measure how efficiently a website uses device resources. This would be particularly important for mobile users concerned about battery drain.

4. Memory Usage Metrics

Websites that consume excessive memory can slow down devices and even cause browser crashes. Memory usage metrics could become part of Core Web Vitals 2.0 to address this issue.

5. Accessibility Metrics

Google has increasingly emphasized accessibility as a component of good user experience. Core Web Vitals 2.0 might include metrics related to:

  • Keyboard navigation efficiency
  • Screen reader compatibility scores
  • Color contrast ratios
  • Focus indicator visibility

6. Scrolled Content Metrics

To address the above-the-fold bias of current metrics, Google might introduce measurements for content that becomes visible as users scroll down the page, including:

  • Time to visible for below-the-fold content
  • Layout stability during scrolling
  • Loading performance of dynamically loaded content

Preparing Your Website for Core Web Vitals 2.0

While we don't know exactly what Core Web Vitals 2.0 will include, there are proactive steps you can take to future-proof your website:

1. Adopt INP Monitoring Now

Start monitoring Interaction to Next Paint alongside your current Core Web Vitals. Tools like CrUX Report, PageSpeed Insights, and Chrome DevTools already provide INP data.

To improve INP:

  • Break up long JavaScript tasks
  • Optimize event handlers
  • Use Web Workers for non-UI operations
  • Reduce JavaScript execution time

2. Enhance Animation Performance

Prepare for potential smoothness metrics by optimizing animations:

  • Use CSS transforms and opacity changes instead of properties that trigger layout or paint
  • Leverage the will-change property judiciously
  • Use requestAnimationFrame for JavaScript animations
  • Test animation performance on lower-end devices

3. Implement Efficient Resource Loading

Anticipate energy and memory usage metrics by optimizing how your site consumes resources:

  • Implement lazy loading for images and iframes
  • Use modern image formats (WebP, AVIF)
  • Remove unused JavaScript and CSS
  • Implement efficient caching strategies

4. Strengthen Accessibility Practices

Regardless of whether accessibility metrics become part of Core Web Vitals, improving accessibility benefits all users:

  • Ensure proper color contrast ratios
  • Implement keyboard navigation
  • Use semantic HTML
  • Provide alt text for images
  • Test with screen readers

5. Optimize for Scrolling Experience

Prepare for metrics that measure below-the-fold content:

  • Ensure content loads in time for when users scroll to it
  • Implement scroll-triggered loading efficiently
  • Minimize layout shifts during scrolling
  • Test scrolling performance on various devices

Advanced Technical Strategies for Core Web Vitals 2.0 Readiness

Beyond the basics, here are more advanced techniques to prepare for the next generation of user experience metrics:

1. Predictive Prefetching

Implement machine learning models to predict user behavior and prefetch resources accordingly. This can significantly improve perceived performance without wasteful loading of unnecessary resources.

2. Adaptive Loading

Create mechanisms that serve different assets based on:

  • Network conditions (using the Network Information API)
  • Device capabilities (using the Device Memory API)
  • Battery status (using the Battery Status API)

3. Progressive Hydration

For JavaScript-heavy sites, implement progressive hydration techniques that prioritize interactivity for critical components while deferring less important functionality.

4. Client-Side Caching Strategies

Go beyond basic service workers to implement sophisticated caching strategies that balance freshness with performance, potentially using technologies like Cloudflare Workers or Edge Side Includes.

5. Performance Budgeting with CI/CD Integration

Integrate performance budgets directly into your development pipeline to prevent regressions. Tools like Lighthouse CI can automatically fail builds that exceed performance thresholds.

Measurement and Monitoring for Future Core Web Vitals

As Core Web Vitals evolve, your measurement strategies must evolve too:

1. Real User Monitoring (RUM) Implementation

RUM provides the most accurate picture of actual user experience. Implement comprehensive RUM using tools like:

  • Google Analytics with Core Web Vitals reporting
  • Specialized RUM providers (SpeedCurve, New Relic, etc.)
  • Custom solutions using the Performance API

2. Synthetic Monitoring Complement

While RUM measures actual user experience, synthetic monitoring helps you catch issues before they affect users. Use tools like:

  • PageSpeed Insights
  • WebPageTest
  • Lighthouse
  • Pingdom

3. Field Data vs. Lab Data Correlation

Develop processes to correlate field data (from real users) with lab data (from testing environments) to better predict how changes will impact real-world performance.

4. Segment Performance Data

Break down performance data by:

  • Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)
  • Geography
  • Network conditions
  • Browser type

This segmentation helps identify specific user groups that might be experiencing poor performance.

5. Establish Performance Baselines and Goals

Set clear performance targets for your site and track progress against these goals. Regularly review and adjust these targets as technology and user expectations evolve.

Organizational Preparation for Core Web Vitals 2.0

Technical improvements alone aren't enough—you need the right organizational structure and processes:

1. Cross-Functional Performance Teams

Create teams with representatives from development, design, content, and SEO to address performance holistically. Performance is a cross-cutting concern that requires collaboration across disciplines.

2. Performance-First Culture

Foster a culture where performance is considered from the beginning of projects, not as an afterthought. This includes:

  • Including performance requirements in project specifications
  • Training designers on performance implications of their choices
  • Educating content creators on optimizing assets

3. Regular Performance Reviews

Schedule regular performance review meetings where teams discuss metrics, identify issues, and plan improvements. Make performance a standing agenda item in relevant meetings.

4. Performance Incentives

Consider tying performance metrics to team or individual goals to ensure they receive appropriate attention and resources.

5. Continuous Education

The web performance landscape evolves rapidly. Invest in continuous education for your team through:

  • Conference attendance
  • Online courses
  • Internal knowledge sharing sessions
  • Experimenting with new technologies and techniques

Case Study: Preparing for Core Web Vitals 2.0 at Webbb.ai

At Webbb.ai, we've been proactively preparing for Core Web Vitals 2.0 across our client portfolio. Here's our approach:

Initial Assessment Phase

We began with a comprehensive audit of current performance metrics, focusing not just on the official Core Web Vitals but also on potential future metrics like INP, smoothness, and memory usage.

Implementation of Advanced Monitoring

We enhanced our monitoring infrastructure to track:

  • INP across all client interactions
  • Animation frame rates on interactive elements
  • Memory usage trends over user sessions
  • Battery impact for key user flows

Technical Optimization Program

Based on our assessment, we implemented a prioritized optimization program focusing on:

  • JavaScript execution optimization
  • Advanced caching strategies
  • Adaptive loading based on device capabilities
  • Progressive enhancement approaches

Results

While we can't share specific client data, we've observed:

  • 20-35% improvement in INP scores across optimized sites
  • 15-25% reduction in memory usage
  • Improved user engagement metrics
  • Better performance consistency across device types

Our work with technical SEO services has shown that proactive preparation for Core Web Vitals evolution pays dividends in both search performance and user satisfaction.

Conclusion: Embracing the Future of User Experience Measurement

Core Web Vitals represent Google's commitment to quantifying and rewarding excellent user experiences. As these metrics evolve toward Core Web Vitals 2.0, websites that proactively address the likely new metrics will maintain competitive advantage in search rankings.

The key takeaways for preparing for Core Web Vitals 2.0 are:

  1. Start monitoring potential new metrics like INP now
  2. Optimize beyond the current Core Web Vitals to include smoothness, efficiency, and accessibility
  3. Implement advanced technical strategies like adaptive loading and progressive hydration
  4. Enhance your measurement and monitoring capabilities
  5. Build a performance-focused culture within your organization

At Webbb.ai, we believe that the future of SEO is increasingly intertwined with overall user experience. By embracing this evolution and preparing for Core Web Vitals 2.0 now, you can ensure your website not only ranks well but truly delivers for your users.

For more insights on technical SEO and preparing for future algorithm changes, explore our SEO blog or contact our team for a personalized consultation on optimizing your website for the future of user experience measurement.

Additional Resources

To continue your learning journey about Core Web Vitals and technical SEO, we recommend these related articles from our blog:

Digital Kulture Team

Digital Kulture Team is a passionate group of digital marketing and web strategy experts dedicated to helping businesses thrive online. With a focus on website development, SEO, social media, and content marketing, the team creates actionable insights and solutions that drive growth and engagement.