Google Lighthouse: What is it & How to improve it?

What is a Lighthouse score?

A Lighthouse score is a metric used to measure the performance, accessibility, and search engine optimization (SEO) of a website. It is a numerical value between 0 and 100 that indicates how well a website performs in each of these categories. The higher the score, the better the user experience is for website visitors.

The score is calculated by analyzing various aspects of a website, such as loading speed, responsive design, use of appropriate HTML tags, and more. It provides website owners with a quick and easy way to assess the overall quality of their website and identify areas for improvement.

Google Lighthouse score depends on a variety of factors

While a high Lighthouse score can certainly be a good indicator of a well-designed website, it is just one of many metrics for evaluating website performance.

How does it operate?

Google Lighthouse operates by analyzing various aspects of a website, including performance, accessibility, and SEO. It uses a set of pre-defined audits to measure each of these categories and provide a numerical score between 0 and 100.

These scores are based on best practices and industry standards, and provide website owners with a clear understanding of their website’s performance. Following the recommendations provided by Google Lighthouse can help improve the Lighthouse scores and therefore, overall user experience of their website.

How are Core Web Vitals and Google Lighthouse scores different?

Core Web Vitals are a subset of performance metrics that focus specifically on user experience, while Google Lighthouse scores provide a broader assessment of website performance, including accessibility and SEO.

Core Web Vitals are designed to measure loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Google Lighthouse scores, on the other hand, provide a more comprehensive analysis of a website’s overall quality, and can be used to identify areas for improvement beyond just loading speed.

Google Lighthouse score can be a reference for website quality

The significant of Lighthouse scores

Lighthouse scores are significant because they provide website owners with a quick and easy way to assess the quality of their website. They are based on best practices and industry standards, and can be used to identify areas for improvement in terms of performance, accessibility, and SEO.

A high Lighthouse score indicates a better user experience for website visitors, which can lead to increased traffic and conversions. Consequently, Lighthouse scores are becoming increasingly important for search engine rankings, as they demonstrate a commitment to providing a positive user experience.

How should your Lighthouse score be interpreted?

Your Lighthouse score should be interpreted as a starting point for identifying areas of your website that may need improvement. While a high score is generally desirable, it is important to consider the individual metrics that make up the score, and focus on addressing any specific issues identified by the report.

It is also important to remember that Lighthouse scores are just one of many metrics that should be considered when evaluating website performance, and should be used in conjunction with other tools and metrics to get a comprehensive picture of your website’s quality.

Should I concentrate solely on my website’s Google lighthouse score?

While Lighthouse scores are a useful tool for assessing website quality, there are possible drawbacks to relying solely on them. For example, Lighthouse scores do not take into account factors such as website design, content quality, or user behavior, which can all have a significant impact on user experience.

Additionally, Lighthouse scores are based on best practices and industry standards, which may not always align with the specific goals and objectives of a website. Therefore, it is important to use Lighthouse scores in conjunction with other metrics and tools, and to consider the unique context of your website when interpreting the results.

2 Ways to run a Google Lighthouse audit

Google Lighthouse Chrome extension

• To run a Google Lighthouse audit in the Chrome extension, open the website you want to audit in Google Chrome.
• Then, click on the Lighthouse icon in the toolbar or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows or Cmd+Shift+I on Mac to open the Developer Tools panel.
• Click on the Lighthouse tab and select the type of audit you want to perform, such as Performance, Accessibility, or SEO.
• Finally, click on the Generate Report button to run the audit and see the results. The Lighthouse extension provides detailed reports with suggestions for improving website performance and user experience.

Use tools to check your website’s Google lighthouse score

The DevTools Audits panel

• To run a Google Lighthouse audit in the DevTools Audits panel, open the website you want to audit in Google Chrome.
• Open the Developer Tools panel by right-clicking anywhere on the page and selecting “Inspect”.
• Click on the “Audits” tab, and choose the type of audit you want to perform, such as Performance, Accessibility, or SEO.
• Click on the “Run audits” button to start the audit. The DevTools Audits panel will provide a detailed report with suggestions for improving website performance and user experience based on the results of the audit.

Why does my Google Lighthouse score change from test to test?

Google Lighthouse scores can change from test to test due to various factors. It evaluates a website’s performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices based on a variety of metrics, and these metrics can fluctuate depending on many factors such as the device used to access the website, the internet connection speed, the server load, and the complexity of the website’s code.

Additionally, Lighthouse updates its algorithms periodically, which can also affect the scores. Website owners should keep in mind that Lighthouse scores are not meant to be a static, definitive measure of a website’s quality but rather a tool for identifying areas of improvement. Regularly testing and optimizing a website’s performance can help maintain a consistent and high Lighthouse score over time.

How to raise your Lighthouse performance score

If you are looking to improve your website’s user experience and search engine rankings, optimizing your Lighthouse performance score is a great place to start.

Optimize the graphics on your website

Optimizing the graphics on your website can significantly improve your Lighthouse performance score. Large, uncompressed images can slow down your website and negatively impact user experience. To optimize your graphics, compress your images and reduce their file size without sacrificing image quality. You can also use modern image formats like WebP to further reduce file size.

Additionally, lazy-loading images can improve page speed by only loading images when needed. Finally, using responsive images and properly sizing them for different devices can also improve your Lighthouse score. By optimizing your website’s graphics, you can enhance user experience and boost your website’s overall performance.

For quicker load times, include a preconnect

Including a preconnect in your website can significantly improve page load times, which can positively impact your Lighthouse performance score. Preconnect is an HTML attribute that allows your website to establish a connection to a server before making a request. This can reduce the latency involved in establishing a connection and retrieving resources, resulting in faster page loads. 

To use preconnect, add the appropriate link tags to your HTML code. This will tell the browser which servers to connect to before the resources are requested. By implementing preconnect, you can speed up your website and improve your Lighthouse score.

Minimize JavaScript bundle sizes

Minimizing JavaScript bundle sizes can help improve your website’s Lighthouse performance score. Large JavaScript files can slow down your website’s loading speed, negatively impacting user experience.

To reduce your JavaScript bundle sizes, you can use techniques like tree shaking, code splitting, and lazy loading. Tree shaking removes unused code, code splitting divides large files into smaller ones, and lazy loading only loads JavaScript code when it is needed. 

Additionally, minimizing your JavaScript code by removing unnecessary whitespace and comments can further reduce file size.

Improve aspects of your website based on lighthouse scores

Include only essential CSS files on your website

Including only essential CSS files on your website can help improve your Lighthouse performance score. Large CSS files can slow down your website’s loading speed and negatively impact user experience.

To reduce your CSS file size, identify which CSS files are essential and eliminate any that are not needed. Next, remove any unused CSS code to further reduce file size. Finally, consider using CSS preprocessors like SASS or LESS, which allow you to write more efficient code and eliminate redundancy.

Make your website a PWA to benefit from its amazing speed gains

Converting your website to a Progressive Web App (PWA) can improve your website’s Lighthouse performance score by providing amazing speed gains. PWAs are websites that are designed to behave like native apps, with features like offline functionality, push notifications, and more. 

By leveraging browser caching and service workers, PWAs can load quickly and work offline, improving user experience and performance. In Lighthouse, PWAs can receive high scores for performance and user experience, making them a great way to improve your Lighthouse score.

Read more: What does Google canonical mean and how you can take advantage of it for your SEO campaign?

Final Thoughts

Google Lighthouse is an essential tool for measuring and optimizing your website’s performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices. By regularly testing your website with Lighthouse and implementing the suggested improvements, you can enhance user experience, boost your search engine rankings, and improve your website’s overall performance. 

A high Lighthouse score is not simply a number to aim for, but a reflection of your website’s quality and user experience. By prioritizing website optimization, you can provide a better experience for your users and achieve better results for your website.

On Digitals will be of great assistance if you are looking to improve the user experience of your websites. With effective SEO services, you can improve multiple aspects of your sites and attract more traffic in the process. Contact On Digitals for a new and improved version of your website.