Google Search Advocate John Mueller has reaffirmed that Core Web Vitals are not major ranking factors, responding to data that suggested otherwise.
His statements come amid growing industry discussion about the immediate impact of site performance on search visibility.
Mueller’s Stance
Mueller stated on LinkedIn:
“We’ve been pretty clear that Core Web Vitals are not giant factors in ranking, and I doubt you’d see a big drop just because of that.”
The main benefit of improving website performance is providing a better user experience.
A poor experience could naturally decrease traffic by discouraging return visitors, regardless of how they initially found the site.
Mueller continues:
“Having a website that provides a good experience for users is worthwhile, because if users are so annoyed that they don’t want to come back, you’re just wasting the first-time visitors to your site, regardless of where they come from.”
Small Sites’ Competitive Edge
Mueller believes smaller websites have a unique advantage when it comes to implementing SEO changes.
Recalling his experience of trying to get a big company to change a robots.txt line, he explains:
“Smaller sites have a gigantic advantage when it comes to being able to take advantage of changes – they can be so much more nimble.”
Mueller noted that larger organizations may need extensive processes for simple changes, while smaller sites can update things like robots.txt in just 30 minutes.