Core Web Vitals in 2026: What Actually Moves the Needle | Akousa

tsx

import Head from "next/head";
 
export default function HeroSection() {
  return (
    <>
      <Head>
        <link rel="preload" as="image" href="/images/hero-optimized.webp" type="image/webp" fetchPriority="high" />
      </Head>
      <section className="relative h-[600px]">
        <img
          src="/images/hero-optimized.webp"
          alt="Hero banner"
          width={1200}
          height={600}
          fetchPriority="high"
          decoding="sync"
        />
      </section>
    </>
  );
}

bash

gzip on;
gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml;
gzip_min_length 1000;
gzip_comp_level 6;
 
# Brotli (if ngx_brotli module is installed)
brotli on;
brotli_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml;
brotli_comp_level 6;

tsx

// BAD — parent has no dimensions
<div className="relative">
  <Image src="/photo.jpg" alt="Team" fill />
</div>
 
// GOOD — parent has explicit aspect ratio
<div className="relative aspect-video w-full">
  <Image src="/photo.jpg" alt="Team" fill sizes="100vw" />
</div>

tsx

// Using next/font — the best approach for Next.js
import { Inter } from "next/font/google";
 
const inter = Inter({
  subsets: ["latin"],
  display: "swap",
  // next/font automatically generates size-adjusted fallback fonts
  // This eliminates CLS from font swapping
});
 
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en" className={inter.className}>
      <body>{children}</body>
    </html>
  );
}

tsx

// Cookie banner — reserve space at the bottom
function CookieBanner() {
  const [accepted, setAccepted] = useState(false);
 
  if (accepted) return null;
 
  return (
    // Fixed positioning doesn't cause CLS because it
    // doesn't affect document flow
    <div className="fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 z-50 bg-gray-900 p-4">
      <p>We use cookies. You know the drill.</p>
      <button onClick={() => setAccepted(true)}>Accept</button>
    </div>
  );
}

tsx

// Video embed without CLS
function VideoEmbed({ src }: { src: string }) {
  return (
    <div className="w-full aspect-video bg-gray-900 rounded-lg overflow-hidden">
      <iframe
        src={src}
        className="w-full h-full"
        title="Embedded video"
        allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media"
        allowFullScreen
      />
    </div>
  );
}

tsx

function PostCardSkeleton() {
  return (
    <div className="animate-pulse rounded-lg border p-4">
      <div className="h-48 w-full rounded bg-gray-200" />
      <div className="mt-4 space-y-2">
        <div className="h-6 w-3/4 rounded bg-gray-200" />
        <div className="h-4 w-full rounded bg-gray-200" />
        <div className="h-4 w-5/6 rounded bg-gray-200" />
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}
 
function PostList() {
  const { data: posts, isLoading } = usePosts();
 
  if (isLoading) {
    return (
      <div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-6 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
        {Array.from({ length: 6 }).map((_, i) => (
          <PostCardSkeleton key={i} />
        ))}
      </div>
    );
  }
 
  return (
    <div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-6 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3">
      {posts?.map((post) => (
        <PostCard key={post.id} post={post} />
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

tsx

async function processLargeDataset(items: DataItem[]) {
  const results: ProcessedItem[] = [];
 
  for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
    results.push(expensiveTransform(items[i]));
 
    // Every 10 items, yield to the browser
    // This lets pending user interactions get processed
    if (i % 10 === 0 && "scheduler" in globalThis) {
      await scheduler.yield();
    }
  }
 
  return results;
}

tsx

import { useState, useTransition } from "react";
 
function SearchableList({ items }: { items: Item[] }) {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState("");
  const [filteredItems, setFilteredItems] = useState(items);
  const [isPending, startTransition] = useTransition();
 
  function handleSearch(e: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) {
    const value = e.target.value;
 
    // This update is urgent — the input must reflect the keystroke immediately
    setQuery(value);
 
    // This update is NOT urgent — filtering 10,000 items can wait
    startTransition(() => {
      const filtered = items.filter((item) => item.name.toLowerCase().includes(value.toLowerCase()));
      setFilteredItems(filtered);
    });
  }
 
  return (
    <div>
      <input
        type="text"
        value={query}
        onChange={handleSearch}
        placeholder="Search..."
        className="w-full rounded border px-4 py-2"
      />
      {isPending && <p className="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-500">Filtering...</p>}
      <ul className="mt-4 space-y-2">
        {filteredItems.map((item) => (
          <li key={item.id}>{item.name}</li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
}

tsx

import { useCallback, useRef } from "react";
 
function useDebounce<T extends (...args: unknown[]) => void>(fn: T, delay: number): T {
  const timeoutRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>>();
 
  return useCallback(
    ((...args: unknown[]) => {
      if (timeoutRef.current) {
        clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
      }
      timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => fn(...args), delay);
    }) as T,
    [fn, delay],
  );
}
 
// Usage
function LiveSearch() {
  const [results, setResults] = useState<SearchResult[]>([]);
 
  const search = useDebounce(async (query: string) => {
    const response = await fetch(`/api/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`);
    const data = await response.json();
    setResults(data.results);
  }, 300);
 
  return <input type="text" onChange={(e) => search(e.target.value)} placeholder="Search..." />;
}

tsx

// worker.ts
self.addEventListener("message", (event) => {
  const { data, operation } = event.data;
 
  switch (operation) {
    case "sort": {
      // This could take 500ms for large datasets
      const sorted = data.sort((a: number, b: number) => a - b);
      self.postMessage({ result: sorted });
      break;
    }
    case "filter": {
      const filtered = data.filter((item: DataItem) => complexFilterLogic(item));
      self.postMessage({ result: filtered });
      break;
    }
  }
});

tsx

// useWorker.ts
import { useEffect, useRef, useCallback } from "react";
 
function useWorker() {
  const workerRef = useRef<Worker>();
 
  useEffect(() => {
    workerRef.current = new Worker(new URL("../workers/worker.ts", import.meta.url));
    return () => workerRef.current?.terminate();
  }, []);
 
  const process = useCallback((operation: string, data: unknown): Promise<unknown> => {
    return new Promise((resolve) => {
      if (!workerRef.current) return;
 
      workerRef.current.onmessage = (event) => {
        resolve(event.data.result);
      };
 
      workerRef.current.postMessage({ operation, data });
    });
  }, []);
 
  return { process };
}

tsx

// next.config.ts
import type { NextConfig } from "next";
 
const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
  images: {
    formats: ["image/avif", "image/webp"],
    deviceSizes: [640, 750, 828, 1080, 1200],
    imageSizes: [16, 32, 48, 64, 96, 128, 256],
    minimumCacheTTL: 60 * 60 * 24 * 365, // 1 year
  },
};
 
export default nextConfig;

tsx

// Full-width hero image
<Image
  src="/hero.jpg"
  alt="Hero"
  width={1200}
  height={600}
  sizes="100vw"
  priority // LCP image — don't lazy load it!
/>
 
// Card image in a responsive grid
<Image
  src="/card.jpg"
  alt="Card"
  width={400}
  height={300}
  sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, (max-width: 1200px) 50vw, 33vw"
/>

tsx

import { Inter, JetBrains_Mono } from "next/font/google";
 
const inter = Inter({
  subsets: ["latin"],
  display: "swap",
  variable: "--font-inter",
});
 
const jetbrainsMono = JetBrains_Mono({
  subsets: ["latin"],
  display: "swap",
  variable: "--font-mono",
});
 
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en" className={`${inter.variable} ${jetbrainsMono.variable}`}>
      <body className="font-sans">{children}</body>
    </html>
  );
}

tsx

import { Suspense } from "react";
import { PostList } from "@/components/blog/PostList";
import { Sidebar } from "@/components/blog/Sidebar";
import { PostListSkeleton } from "@/components/blog/PostListSkeleton";
import { SidebarSkeleton } from "@/components/blog/SidebarSkeleton";
 
export default function BlogPage() {
  return (
    <div className="grid grid-cols-1 gap-8 lg:grid-cols-3">
      <div className="lg:col-span-2">
        {/* This loads fast — stream it immediately */}
        <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold">Blog</h1>
 
        {/* This requires a database query — stream it when ready */}
        <Suspense fallback={<PostListSkeleton />}>
          <PostList />
        </Suspense>
      </div>
 
      <aside>
        {/* Sidebar can load independently */}
        <Suspense fallback={<SidebarSkeleton />}>
          <Sidebar />
        </Suspense>
      </aside>
    </div>
  );
}

tsx

// app/blog/page.tsx
// Revalidate this page every hour
 
export const revalidate = 300;
 
// app/tools/[slug]/page.tsx
// These tool pages are fully static — generate at build time
 
export const dynamic = "force-static";
 
// app/api/search/route.ts
// API route — never cache
export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";

tsx

// components/analytics/WebVitals.tsx
"use client";
 
import { useEffect } from "react";
import { onCLS, onINP, onLCP, onFCP, onTTFB } from "web-vitals";
import type { Metric } from "web-vitals";
 
function sendToAnalytics(metric: Metric) {
  // Send to your analytics endpoint
  const body = JSON.stringify({
    name: metric.name,
    value: metric.value,
    rating: metric.rating, // "good" | "needs-improvement" | "poor"
    delta: metric.delta,
    id: metric.id,
    navigationType: metric.navigationType,
  });
 
  // Use sendBeacon so it doesn't block page unload
  if (navigator.sendBeacon) {
    navigator.sendBeacon("/api/vitals", body);
  } else {
    fetch("/api/vitals", {
      body,
      method: "POST",
      keepalive: true,
    });
  }
}
 
export function WebVitals() {
  useEffect(() => {
    onCLS(sendToAnalytics);
    onINP(sendToAnalytics);
    onLCP(sendToAnalytics);
    onFCP(sendToAnalytics);
    onTTFB(sendToAnalytics);
  }, []);
 
  return null;
}

tsx

// Instead of GTM loading everything
// Load only what you need, when you need it
 
export function AnalyticsScript() {
  return <script defer src="https://analytics.example.com/script.js" data-website-id="your-id" />;
}

tsx

"use client";
 
import { useEffect } from "react";
 
export function DeferredGTM({ containerId }: { containerId: string }) {
  useEffect(() => {
    // Wait until after page load to inject GTM
    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
      const script = document.createElement("script");
      script.src = `https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=${containerId}`;
      script.async = true;
      document.head.appendChild(script);
    }, 3000); // 3 second delay
 
    return () => clearTimeout(timer);
  }, [containerId]);
 
  return null;
}

tsx

"use client";
 
import { useState } from "react";
 
export function ChatButton() {
  const [loaded, setLoaded] = useState(false);
 
  function loadChat() {
    if (loaded) return;
 
    // Load the chat widget script only when the user clicks
    const script = document.createElement("script");
    script.src = "https://chat-widget.example.com/widget.js";
    script.onload = () => {
      // Initialize the widget after script loads
      window.ChatWidget?.open();
    };
    document.head.appendChild(script);
    setLoaded(true);
  }
 
  return (
    <button
      onClick={loadChat}
      className="fixed bottom-4 right-4 rounded-full bg-blue-600 p-4 text-white shadow-lg"
      aria-label="Open chat"
    >
      {loaded ? "Loading..." : "Chat with us"}
    </button>
  );
}

tsx

// next.config.ts
import withBundleAnalyzer from "@next/bundle-analyzer";
 
const nextConfig = {
  // your config
};
 
export default process.env.ANALYZE === "true" ? withBundleAnalyzer({ enabled: true })(nextConfig) : nextConfig;

tsx

// BAD — loads entire library CSS on every page
import "some-library/dist/styles.css";
 
// BETTER — dynamic import so it only loads on pages that need it
const SomeComponent = dynamic(
  () =>
    import("some-library").then((mod) => {
      // CSS is imported inside the dynamic component
      import("some-library/dist/styles.css");
      return mod.SomeComponent;
    }),
  { ssr: false },
);

tsx

function RegexTester() {
  const [pattern, setPattern] = useState("");
  const [testString, setTestString] = useState("");
  const [results, setResults] = useState<RegexResult[]>([]);
  const [isPending, startTransition] = useTransition();
 
  function handlePatternChange(value: string) {
    setPattern(value); // Urgent: update the input
 
    startTransition(() => {
      // Non-urgent: compute matches
      try {
        const regex = new RegExp(value, "g");
        const matches = [...testString.matchAll(regex)];
        setResults(
          matches.map((m) => ({
            match: m[0],
            index: m.index ?? 0,
            groups: m.groups,
          })),
        );
      } catch {
        setResults([]);
      }
    });
  }
 
  return (
    <div>
      <input
        value={pattern}
        onChange={(e) => handlePatternChange(e.target.value)}
        className={isPending ? "opacity-70" : ""}
      />
      {/* results rendering */}
    </div>
  );
}

Metric	What It Measures	Good	Needs Improvement	Poor
LCP	Loading performance	≤ 2.5s	2.5s – 4.0s	> 4.0s
CLS	Visual stability	≤ 0.1	0.1 – 0.25	> 0.25
INP	Responsiveness	≤ 200ms	200ms – 500ms	> 500ms

Why Core Web Vitals Still Matter in 2026

LCP: The One That Matters Most

Step 1: Find Your Actual LCP Element

Step 2: Preload the LCP Resource

Step 3: Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources

Step 4: Server Response Time (TTFB)

CLS: Death by a Thousand Shifts

The Usual Culprits

INP: The New Kid That Bites

What Causes High INP

Breaking Up Long Tasks with scheduler.yield()

useTransition for Non-Urgent Updates

Debouncing Input Handlers

Web Workers for Heavy Computation

The Next.js Specific Wins

next/image — But Configured Properly

next/font — Zero Layout Shift Fonts

Streaming with Suspense

Route Segment Configuration

Measurement Tools: Trust the Data, Not Your Eyes

The Measurement Stack I Use

The Waterfall Killlist

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

Chat Widgets

Unused JavaScript

Render-Blocking CSS

A Real Optimization Story

The Starting Point

The Investigation

The Fixes

The Results

The Checklist

LCP

CLS

INP

General

Final Thoughts

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