Have you ever been reading an article online when suddenly the content jumps around, making you lose your place or click on something by accident? This frustrating experience is caused by layout shifts — and preventing them is crucial for your website’s success, especially when it comes to Google’s Core Web Vitals.
A key measure in Core Web Vitals is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which tracks how often content moves unexpectedly. A good CLS score is less than 0.1, while anything higher than 0.25 is poor. In this blog, we’ll dive into what causes these shifts and how to avoid them to provide a better user experience and improve your search rankings.
What Causes Unexpected Layout Shifts?
Several common factors contribute to layout shifts, including:
- Images without Defined Sizes: When an image doesn’t have specified dimensions, the browser has to guess how much space to reserve. This can lead to shifts as the image finally loads.
- Ads and Embeds Loading Late: Ads and third-party embeds often load at unpredictable times, pushing content around when they appear.
- Slow Loading Fonts: If web fonts are slow to load, the text can shift or flash, causing disruption.
- Dynamic Content: Content that’s injected into the page after it has loaded — like banners, notifications, or ads — can suddenly push other elements around.
How to Prevent Layout Shifts
1. Set Width and Height for Images and Videos
One of the simplest ways to avoid layout shifts is by specifying the width and height for your images and videos. This tells the browser how much space to reserve, so the layout doesn’t change when the media is loaded.
By doing this, you ensure that your images load smoothly without disrupting the rest of the content.
2. Reserve Space for Ads and Embeds
Ads can often cause major layout shifts, especially when they load late or don’t load at all. You can prevent this by reserving space for them ahead of time, even if they aren’t visible yet.
3. Use Font Display for Web Fonts
To avoid sudden shifts when custom fonts load, use the font-display: swap property. This allows text to be displayed with a fallback font until the custom font is fully loaded.
This ensures that your content is visible immediately without any layout changes.
4. Avoid Inserting Dynamic Content Above the Fold
If you need to add banners, notifications, or dynamic elements, make sure they appear below the fold (the part of the page users need to scroll to see) or reserve space for them beforehand. This way, users won’t experience any unexpected shifts.
5. Use CSS Transformations for Animations
Instead of using properties like margin or padding for animations (which can cause layout changes), use CSS transform. This allows elements to animate smoothly without moving other parts of the page.
This ensures that the layout remains stable while still adding visual interest.
Why Preventing Layout Shifts Matters
Preventing layout shifts doesn’t just improve your Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) score — it also improves the user experience. A stable layout means users can engage with your content without frustration, which keeps them on your site longer and reduces bounce rates. And as Google continues to prioritize Core Web Vitals in its ranking algorithms, having a good CLS score can help your website rank higher in search results.
Looking to improve your website’s Core Web Vitals score? Contact us today! Our expert team at Social Media Max is ready to help you optimize your website for better user experience and higher search rankings. Visit us at https://socialmediamax.co.uk/, call us at 0161 399 3517, or email Syed_66@hotmail.com. Let us help you achieve your digital marketing goals!