Core Web Vitals Checklist for 95+ Lighthouse Scores

Google's Core Web Vitals directly affect search rankings and user trust. Here's how we consistently hit Lighthouse scores above 95.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

• Use next/image with priority on hero images
• Self-host fonts with next/font — no render-blocking Google Fonts CSS
• Server-render above-the-fold content with React Server Components

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

• Always set explicit width and height on images
• Reserve space for dynamic content with min-height containers
• Avoid injecting banners or ads above existing content

Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

• Keep client JavaScript minimal on marketing pages
• Lazy-load Framer Motion and heavy demo routes
• Split client islands only where interactivity is required

SEO fundamentals

• Generate metadata with canonical URLs and Open Graph tags
• Add structured schema: Organization, Service, Article, LocalBusiness
• Ship XML sitemaps and RSS feeds for blog content

Accessibility

• Semantic HTML landmarks (main, nav, footer)
• Skip links and visible focus states
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion for animations

Every SuchGrime project ships with this checklist built in from day one.