What does Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) mean?
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a measure of how much the visual elements of your Webpage “jump” around. Content that shifts abruptly and unexpectedly on the page almost always creates a bad user experience. Have you ever tried to tap a link on your phone and accidentally hit another button or link instead because the content moved? This is one of the most obvious dangers of your Website layout shifting around. CLS can also make Websites feel slower than they are by drawing the visitor’s attention to the fact that things are continuing to load over time.
Unlike the other core metrics, Google tracks CLS during the entire lifespan of the page, not just while loading. Google scores your CLS using the following ranges.
0 - 0.09
Good
0.10 - 0.25
Needs Improvement
> 0.25
Poor
Ideally, CLS will be as low as possible. However, with rich content such as formatted text, images, and especially videos, most sites will experience some layout shift while loading. The goal is to keep it to a minimum. By optimizing plugins and features on your Website, we can greatly reduce the Cumulative Layout Shift your visitors experience, so that your Website feels clean and professional.
Want to know how Google ranks your Website speed? Try our free and automated Website Analysis tool powered by Google PageSpeed Insights. We make Google’s data about your site easy to understand.