INP is a new metric from Google in 2024

What is INP?

As of March 2024, Google is using a new metric to evaluate websites – INP (Interaction to Next Paint).

INP is a metric that measures the time it takes for a web page to respond to a user’s actions. It is calculated as the time from when a user enters data (e.g., clicks a button or scrolls the page) to when the browser updates the visual content on the page.

The lower the INP value, the faster a web page responds to user actions and the better user experience it offers. Google recommends that websites aim for an INP value of less than 75 milliseconds.

Why is INP important?

INP is an important ranking factor for Google, because it affects how enjoyable the user experience on your site will be. If your site is not responsive, users may become frustrated and leave for your competitors.

How to measure the INP of your website?

To measure the INP (Interaction to Next Paint) of your website, you should first look at page load speed monitoring tools. One of the most common tools for this is Google PageSpeed Insights. This tool not only shows the page load speed, but also provides recommendations on how to optimize it to improve INP.

The second step in measuring INP is to analyze your site’s internal processes. Make sure your code is optimized and resources are loaded appropriately. For example, avoid blocking scripts that can slow down page loading. It’s also important to consider the size and format of images uploaded to the page, as these can also affect load speed.

Finally, it is recommended to use web analytics tools such as Google Analytics to measure INP. These tools allow you to track users’ behavior on your site, the time they interact with content, and other important metrics that can be related to INP metrics. An overall analysis of this data will help you understand exactly how user interaction affects the time until the next time content is displayed on your site.

Services that can help you measure the INP of your website:

• Google Search Console: Google Search Console offers an INP report that shows you how your site compares to other sites.
• PageSpeed Insights: PageSpeed Insights is a Google tool that can help you measure your site’s INP and get recommendations on how to improve it.
• WebPageTest: WebPageTest is another tool that can help you measure the INP of your website.

How to improve the INP of your website?

Here are some tips:

1. Optimize JavaScript: JavaScript can slow down your site significantly, so it’s important to optimize its use. You can minimize JavaScript code, remove unnecessary libraries, and use asynchronous loading.
2. Use caching: Caching static resources such as images, CSS, and JavaScript can greatly improve your site’s load time.
3. Reduce HTML size: Large HTML code can slow down your site’s loading time. You can optimize it by removing unnecessary comments and spaces.
4. Use a CDN: A CDN (Content Delivery Network) can help you deliver content faster to users around the world.
5. Optimize Images: Images are one of the heaviest resources on your site, so it’s important to optimize them for the site. You can reduce their size and use next-generation formats such as WebP.

It’s important to test your site’s INP regularly to track its progress. You can use tools such as PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse.
Increasing your website’s INP can significantly improve its user experience and ranking in Google.
By following these tips, you can make your website faster and more responsive, leading to better user engagement and conversions.

Conclusion

In 2024, Google introduced a new INP (Interaction to Next Paint) metric that measures the time between a user’s interaction with a web page and the next refresh of the image on the screen. This metric reflects how quickly a website responds to a user’s actions, which is an important factor in improving user experience. Integrating INP into analytical tools will allow web developers to more effectively improve page load speed and provide a more comfortable interaction with the audience. The introduction of the new INP indicator demonstrates the constant rapid evolution of technology in web development and the importance of improving websites to meet the needs of users.