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About Chris Giles

Chris Giles is the owner of CGain Web Design & SEO and has been involved in the internet industry since the early 1990's. He has been the marketing manager of several multi-million turnover companies. He is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM) and a Fellow of The Institute of Data and Marketing (F IDM).

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Google Core Web Vitals – How will this affect Local Business Websites?

22nd February 2021 in Local Business Marketing, SEO /by Chris Giles

Google announced in 2020 that ‘Core Web Vitals’ will become a bigger part of their user experience algorithm which helps to rank websites in their search engine. It intends to implement this from May 2021. What is ‘Core Web Vitals’, how can you check your Local Business Website, and what do you need to do?

What are 'Core Web Vitals'?

Essentially, Core Web Vitals are a collection of data that helps to measure the performance of user experience on a website. Core Web Vitals are part of Google’s overall evaluation of ‘Page Experience’. Data collected currently includes such things as how fast a page loads on a user’s screen and how quickly a user can interact with it. Websites with a poor score will fail the test and may slip down the search engine rankings.

Getting your Core Web Vitals right is not just for organic search engine rankings. It can also improve the efficiency of Pay Per Click Google Ads by raising your Landing Page performance score.

Core Web Vitals is constantly being revised. The current measurements being used are;

  • LOADING – Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
  • INTERACTIVITY – First Input Delay (FID)
  • VISUAL STABILITY – Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Don’t worry too much about exactly what these terms mean, as we have easy ways for you to measure them yourself!

Other Web Vitals

Other web vitals that form part of Google’s current Page Experience score include;

  • Mobile Friendliness – your website needs to perform well on mobile devices. Check yours here using the Google Mobile-Friendly Test.
  • Safe Browsing – your website needs to be free of malware which could compromise users
  • HTTPS – Your website must have an SSL Certificate (the URL should start with ‘https://’).
  • No Intrusive Interstitials – Pop-ups which prevent users being able to view or access the site, with the exception of cookies pop-ups or legal requirements such as age-verification.

Google Page Experience

How to measure a website's 'Core Web Vitals'

If you have access to your website’s Google Search Console (GSC), you’ll find the ‘Core Web Vitals’ report under the ‘Enhancements’ section.

If not, just go to Google’s free tool, Pagespeed Insights, and enter your website’s address. You can even punch in some competitor websites to compare your website to theirs.

Pagespeed Insights will give 2 scores. One is for Mobile performance, one is for Desktop performance. Both are scored out of 100. Ideally, your site should be 80+ for each.

Mobile Pagespeed test

Mobile Pagespeed Insights score on cgain.co.uk – 22/02/2021

Desktop Pagespeed Insights score on cgain.co.uk – 22/02/2021

What determines a Website’s speed?

There are several factors, including the following…

Hosting

The quality of hosting can have a dramatic effect on a website’s speed. Many Local Business Websites are set up on a budget and on cheap shared hosting (where hundreds of websites live on the same server). Virtually all of the ‘build-you-own’ website services do this, including WIX, GoDaddy, Fasthosts, IONOS and others – although all do usually offer a paid upgrade to something better.

The majority of our client websites are on fast dedicated servers. This costs a little more but is well worth it.

Website Structure

Many websites can be over-stuffed with unnecessary code and plugins. Most WordPress websites have this issue! Whilst that shiny new theme might look pretty, it has probably not been designed with Core Web Vitals in mind!

Adding a new feature or plugin can also have an adverse effect. Beware, for example, of adding ecommerce to a website hosted on a cheap shared server as it will probably struggle with limited processing power and slow the whole site down.

Image Sizes

Many web designers (and business owners, especially) add lots of images to a website. There’s nothing wrong with this, except when thay are straight off a modern mobile phone and up to 10mb or more in size!

Huge images on a webpage take time to render and display. All images should be optimised (resized) before uploading.

How to Improve Core Web Vitals

Use the Measurement Tools

Use the Measurement Tools we recommend above and test your own website. If you pass, then no problem!

If not, each tool will suggest fixes if you feel technical enough to sort these yourself.

Obtain Professional Advice

Here at CGain we can analyse your website’s Core Web Vitals (amongst other factors) and come up with a solution at a competitive cost. Solutions can be on a fixed monthly rate to include hosting, backups, updates and basic (or advanced) SEO.

Reasons Why Your Site Traffic Has Dropped

7th January 2021 in Learn with CGain, SEO /by Chris Giles

Is your website losing traffic or are your rankings plummeting? Here are some possible reasons why your search ranking and traffic have dropped. Websites exist to be visited, but visits can mean different things for different sites. For media sites, for example, traffic can be a source of income from advertisements. For ecommerce retailers, traffic […]

How Does SEO Work and What Does It Cost?

12th August 2020 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

How does SEO work and what does it cost? We answer these questions here and help guide you in your choice of SEO Consultant. Hitting high ranking positions on Google Search for relevant keywords can be an absolute gold-mine for many businesses. We have many clients in this fortunate situation who can now pick and […]

Use Online Directories to Promote Your Business Website

9th May 2020 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Should you spend your time adding your website to the hundreds of business listing directories available? Well, our answer is yes and no. OK, we know that it is not like us to sit on the fence, but the evidence does speak for itself. We’ll start by making this clear – the vast majority of […]

Your Guide to Marketing During a Crisis or Downturn

3rd April 2020 in Branding & Design, Google Adwords, Learn with CGain, Web Design /by Chris Giles

A few of our clients have asked for advice on their spend at the moment, so we thought we’d put our thoughts down here to help out as best we can. Marketing has always been one of the first things that businesses tend to cut – we’re the colouring-in department: pretty pictures, a few nice […]

WWF Logo – History and Insights

19th January 2020 /1 Comment/in Branding & Design /by Chris Giles

Apple Logo | The Evolution of the Brand

12th January 2020 /1 Comment/in Branding & Design /by Chris Giles

Versace Logo & Branding

26th October 2019 in Branding & Design /by Chris Giles

Local SEO Study – Manchester Jewellers

10th October 2019 in Local Business Marketing, SEO /by Chris Giles

In the second of a series on Local SEO, we look at the Google performance of the Jewellery category in Manchester. However, this advice will apply to anywhere in the country – and if you’d like a similarly detailed analysis of your area, feel free to contact us. Further down this report we’ll be offering […]

Local SEO Study – Blackpool Restaurants

6th October 2019 /0 Comments/in Local Business Marketing, SEO /by Chris Giles

In the first of what will be a series on Local SEO, we look at the Google performance of the restaurant category in Blackpool. Why Blackpool? We’re based there and our local expertise allows us to offer some context with our analysis. If you’d like a similarly detailed analysis of your business sector, feel free […]

Rolls-Royce Logo & Branding

18th September 2019 in Branding & Design /by Chris Giles

The North Face Logo & Branding

19th August 2019 in Branding & Design /by Chris Giles

FAQ Schema on your Website – Can this help your SEO?

9th August 2019 in SEO /by Chris Giles

Schema code on website pages is a much-overlooked aspect of best-practice SEO – or Search Engine Optimisation. SEO helps your website to be seen nearer the top of Google and Bing searches for relevant search keyphrases. Google & Bing advise the use of Schema code so that their algorithms can correctly and more easily process […]

Check Your Website!! Is It Current?

13th July 2019 in SEO, Web Design /by Chris Giles

When was the last time you checked your own business website? If you haven’t checked it for a while, you’re not alone! Most businesses don’t really have reason to regularly check their own website, being too busy dealing with new enquiries, quotes, orders and general business management. An Up-To-Date Website is Vital for your Business! […]

The 6 Best Marketing Tools For Business Websites 2019

4th July 2019 /0 Comments/in Local Business Marketing, SEO /by Chris Giles

We are asked often about which tools we use to help improve and grow business websites. As one of the areas top-rated website designers, over the years we have tried and tested over 100 and now seem to have settled on some absolute belters. Of course, if you can recommend any belters of your own, […]

Schema Markup & Rich Snippets – Do they help SEO?

12th June 2019 in SEO /by Chris Giles

Schema code on website pages is a much-overlooked aspect of best-practice SEO – or Search Engine Optimisation. SEO helps your website to be seen nearer the top of Google and Bing searches for relevant search keyphrases. Google & Bing advise the use of Schema code so that their algorithms can correctly and more easily process […]

Google Algorithm Updates Timeline

12th October 2018 /2 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Google uses an increasingly intelligent algorithm to decide which web pages rank highest for particular search phrases. Upgrades and changes are made nearly every day, some of them announced by Google, some not. Google Search wants to deliver relevant and useful results. Much work is going on right now to demote poor-qualityand potentially fraudulent pages. […]

POS – Point of Sale – Solutions for WordPress and Woocommerce

20th September 2018 /0 Comments/in Web Design /by Chris Giles

With the many sales platforms available, retailers often have the problem of synchronising their stock levels. With the same products being sold from the physical store, a website, Amazon and Ebay, issues can easily arise. The most common problem is that of a retailer taking an order online only to find that the item has […]

Google ‘Beacons’ are here

29th August 2018 /0 Comments/in Local Business Marketing /by Chris Giles

Over the last couple of years Google has been quietly working on ‘Project Beacon’. A Beacon is a small device that you physically place in your business which will allegedly increase your visibility in Google search. It’s basically a little Bluetooth device (2 inches long) which auto-connects to any nearby smartphones that have location services […]

Coco Chanel Logo

24th February 2018 in Branding & Design /by Chris Giles

The Importance of Online Reviews for your business

7th January 2018 /1 Comment/in SEO, Web Design /by Chris Giles

Ask many business owners about ‘online reviews’ and they will shudder – some are even positively paranoid about receiving a less than favourable review from a disgruntled client. When we advise that it is good practice to publish and actively encourage online reviews there is usually a short silence, then a look of absolute shock! […]

Google Algorithm Changes – Could these affect your search ranking?

30th December 2017 in SEO /by Chris Giles

For organic search results Google uses an increasingly complex algorithm to determine which sites appear where in the listings. The algorithm is constantly evolving and a big reason for this is to try and combat false results caused by SEO practitioners attempting to cheat the system. Spam Links Google’s latest raft of significant changes to […]

Black Hat SEO – Private Blog Networks

16th March 2017 /14 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Many SEO Consultants use less than ethical tactics to increase search engine rankings for a client website. One such tactic is the use of PBN’s or ‘Private Blog Networks’. About Private Blog Networks A Private Blog Network scheme involves setting up a large number of low-quality websites, on which are placed links to target websites […]

Four Rooms – A 5 Star B&B in Blackpool

11th February 2017 /0 Comments/in Success Stories /by Chris Giles

Four Rooms is one of Blackpool’s only 5 Star Bed & Breakfast establishments. A Boutique B&B close to The Winter Gardens and the Town Centre, it is run by Michael Elt and Paul Sinnott – who have put heart and soul into the business since taking it on almost 2 years ago. From first meeting […]

How to drive business to your new website

4th February 2017 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

“Have a website built” they say, “you’ll make a fortune! Give up your day job and retire early just spending a few hours a week building up your online business.” So, you have a wonderful new website, looking pretty – but why is the business not coming in? “This is very different from running a […]

Email Marketing Law

6th September 2016 /5 Comments/in Email Marketing /by Chris Giles

Is Sending Unsolicited Email Marketing Unlawful? Our guide explains the UK law surrounding this issue. A superb article by one of our clients – Ian Randall of Owllegal.org – on email marketing law. A:    INTRODUCTION Once a business has defined its product and identified the market place for that product it comes face to face […]

Different Types of SEO – Search Engine Optimisation Explained

21st August 2016 /11 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Search Engine Optimisation, or ‘SEO’, is a vast and varied discipline. SEO work is continually evolving in line with new research and the advancing ‘artificial intelligence’ of the major search engines. Here are some of the most common current types of SEO work. Check our post here on SEO and how it should work. Technical […]

Inside the Google Search Engine – What’s New in 2016?

30th June 2016 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Just like a car engine, Google’s search engine or ‘algorithm’ is made up of many parts. It’s purpose of course is to deliver rapid, high quality, spam-free and relevant results to your search queries. In 2013 Google gave the current version of their search engine a name – ‘Hummingbird’. Just like car engine parts, Hummingbird […]

European Company Network – SCAM Alert

27th June 2016 /0 Comments/in Internet Scams /by Chris Giles

BEWARE of emails from the ‘European Company Network’ arriving in your mailbox inviting you to ‘update your company details for free’. You could unwittingly be signing up to 3 years of paying 995.00 Euros a year for a worthless directory listing! One such email managed to get through our Spam Filter this morning… There is […]

Writing ‘Quality Content’ for your website

11th June 2016 /2 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

We look here at the importance of having quality content on your website to encourage high search engine rankings and enhance your users’ experience. SEO experts the world over will agree on the importance of having ‘quality content’ on your website to ensure a chance of higher rankings on search engine listings. Whilst there are […]

Broadcast Your News Automatically On Social Media

23rd May 2016 /6 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Your Business may have several Social Media Accounts. A Facebook Business Page, a Twitter account, a LinkedIn Page, and a Google+ Page are pretty much mandatory for every business, but depending on your business type you may also use Blogger, Delicious, Pinterest, SnapChat, Instagram or Tumblr too. Keeping all of these up to date can […]

Why You Should Regularly Update your Website with Fresh Content

5th May 2016 /1 Comment/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Here we discuss the importance of regularly updating your website and how to come up with a method of making sure it gets done. How often do you update your website with fresh new content? No News is Bad News as far as modern search engines are concerned. Whilst Content is King with Google and […]

PageSpeed – Make Your Website Faster

28th April 2016 /2 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Common sense suggests that faster web pages are better for users. If your web page does not fully load within a few short seconds, research shows that a large percentage of users will leave your site. Back in the old days of web design almost everyone was on slow dial-up internet. As web developers we […]

Website Security – Upgrade Your Site to SSL & HTTPS

4th April 2016 /1 Comment/in Web Design /by Chris Giles

Website security experts all agree on one thing at least – if your website is taking online payment or collecting sensitive information from users then it MUST be SSL enabled. Googe Ranks Secure Sites Higher Google, amongst other search engines, has now started to rank SSL enabled websites higher – as they are more trustworthy […]

Optimising Your Content For Mobile – AMP & Facebook Instant Articles

4th April 2016 /3 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Google has now started to give ranking favour to websites on mobile search that provide Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). Major online publishers are using AMP as well as Facebook Instant Articles to dramatically improve the service they offer to mobile users. Mobile users now make up a huge percentage of visitors to any website. As […]

Are You Email Marketing? Why Not?

14th March 2016 /0 Comments/in Email Marketing /by Chris Giles

Email Marketing is one of the most powerful ways to build your business. Here at CGain we manage professional email marketing campaigns for you, all you have to do is enjoy the extra business we bring your way. Just imagine if you had a database of EVERY one of your customers over the last few […]

Is Your Website Search Engine Friendly?

14th March 2016 /1 Comment/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Your website may look pretty to you, but is it search engine friendly? Google and Bing expect it to load quickly and have an ‘infrastructure’ in the coding behind your website’s ‘face’, this makes it easier for them to index and categorise your content – and thus present more relevant information to their users. Hence […]

Email Management Tips

14th March 2016 /0 Comments/in Email /by Chris Giles

Your website hosting package from CGain comes complete with a very powerful Email system. You can have unlimited email accounts, one for every person or department in your organisation – or just one – or even none (and have all mail redirected to your personal gmail or hotmail account). Webmail Access Webmail is like a […]

Spring Clean Your Website

22nd February 2016 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Anytime is always a good time to review and refresh your website. Web Guidelines from Google are constantly developing. Follow these tips and you will not go wrong! Check Everything! Check each page. Is all the crucial information correct, such as your address, phone number, services offered, opening hours and prices? Is all your product […]

Make your Website the Central Hub for your Online Marketing

8th November 2015 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

Your website needs to be the central hub of your digital marketing strategy. Many businesses post regularly on social media platforms such as Facebook, but the problem is that these posts only ever reach a small percentage of the people ‘liking’ that page. Here’s how to get the most from your didgital marketing efforts… Your […]

Promote Your Local Business On Facebook

15th September 2015 /1 Comment/in Social Media /by Chris Giles

Is your business operating it’s Facebook Page correctly? Follow our tips to make the most of this amazing and free social media marketing tool. Every business needs a Facebook Business Page. If you do not already have one, make one. It’s totally free. If you don’t know how, speak to us and we’ll help! Many […]

Mobile Friendly Websites. Is Yours Compliant?

15th March 2015 /0 Comments/in Web Design /by Chris Giles

More people now access the internet though a mobile phone or a tablet device than by using a traditional desktop computer or laptop. Many business websites fail to look right on a small screen and can lack mobile functionality. This leads to lost sales opportunities. In 2015 Google rolled out ‘Mobilegeddon’ as an update to […]

Search Engine Guidelines Update

16th December 2014 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

As 2014 draws to a close, we catch up on the latest Guidelines from the major Search Engines and how they say they work out which websites come out on top in the listings. LATEST GOOGLE GUIDELINES The big-hitter of Search Engines, Google accounts for over 80% of internet searches in the UK. Google announced […]

Marketing Local Business Through SEO

2nd July 2014 /0 Comments/in SEO /by Chris Giles

We had an enquiry recently from a long-established local business. Well known in the town, they have been trading for over 30 years. With traditional marketing increasing in cost our client was beginning to look into digital marketing but did not know where to start. Following some keyword research and on completing an analysis of […]

SEO & The Snake Oil Salesman

22nd May 2014 /1 Comment/in Internet Scams, SEO /by Chris Giles

Recently I was referred by a customer to a local Business Adviser who had a question from one of his clients. The client had signed up for a ‘Website Promotion SEO – Be No. 1 On Google’ package from another local company and the adviser and client were concerned that they were not seeing any […]

Building a Customer Database is VITAL

14th March 2014 /1 Comment/in Email Marketing /by Chris Giles

It might sound like simple common-sense – building a customer marketing database for your business – but in the real world very few businesses actually do this properly. At it’s most basic, your database should be used for communicating with your customers at least once a month. A monthly Newsletter can be an ideal starting […]

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