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Technical SEO Engineering

Core Web Vitals

Most Core Web Vitals consultants hand you a report and a list of issues. I work alongside your engineering team to actually ship the improvements: LCP, INP, CLS, and the regressions that follow your next deploy.

Deliverables

CWV audit document

Current state per page type, per device. Where you fail, where you pass, and why. The diagnostic foundation for every fix that follows.

Root cause analysis

What is actually causing each failure: render-blocking resources, image issues, third-party scripts, layout shifts. Documented per metric.

Prioritised fix plan

Fixes ranked by impact and engineering effort. The 80/20 sequence: what to ship first, what to ship later, what to leave.

Implementation alongside engineering

Working code, not just specifications. I write the fixes where appropriate (image optimisation, lazy loading, layout stability) and partner with your engineers on the deeper work.

Regression monitoring setup

Continuous Core Web Vitals monitoring so the next deploy does not silently undo the work. Alerts when metrics drift.

Documented runbook

Written guide for your team to maintain Core Web Vitals going forward. The patterns to keep, the patterns to avoid, and how to investigate when things slip.

Process

01

Discovery call

Thirty minutes. We walk through your site, your stack, your current CWV state, and your engineering setup. By the end I know what scope fits and whether the work can be shipped in the timeline you have.

02

Audit and root cause analysis

One to two weeks. Per-page and per-device assessment of LCP, INP, CLS, and supporting metrics. Each failure traced to its actual cause: render-blocking resources, image issues, third-party scripts, layout shifts.

03

Prioritised fix plan

I build the fix sequence: what ships first for fastest impact, what ships later, what to leave alone. Every fix scoped with effort estimates so your engineering team can plan capacity.

04

Implementation alongside engineering

The work itself. I write the fixes I can write (image optimisation, lazy loading, font loading patterns) and partner with your engineers on framework-level work (code splitting, SSR tuning, hydration patterns). Validated in staging before merge.

05

Monitoring and handover

Continuous CWV monitoring set up so regressions surface immediately. Documented runbook for your team. Direct contact for the first 30 days post-deploy in case issues emerge.

Packages

CWV Audit & Plan

From £2,000

Diagnose and prioritise without the implementation

2 to 3 weeks

  • Full Core Web Vitals audit per page type and device
  • Root cause analysis for every failing metric
  • Prioritised fix plan with engineering effort estimates
  • Documented recommendations your team can implement
  • Pre-work checklist for your engineering team

Audit & Implementation

From £5,500

End-to-end CWV work, shipped alongside engineering

4 to 8 weeks

  • Everything in the audit and plan
  • Implementation alongside your engineering team
  • Image optimisation, font loading, layout stability fixes shipped
  • Framework-level work scoped and reviewed
  • Pre-deploy validation in staging
  • Documented runbook for your team

Ongoing Monitoring

From £600/month

CWV that stays passing after every deploy

Monthly cadence

  • Continuous Core Web Vitals monitoring across pages and devices
  • Regression alerts when metrics drift after deploys
  • Monthly review and minor fix work as needed
  • Quarterly deep-dive reports
  • Direct email access for performance questions

Case Studies

Halewood Editorial

LCP fix for image-heavy hero sections

Editorial site was failing LCP on mobile across the article archive due to large unoptimised hero images. Built a responsive image pipeline with proper preload hints, modern format conversion, and lazy loading for below-the-fold images. Worked alongside engineering on the deployment.

Outcome:

Cendric

INP reduction by taming third-party scripts

B2B SaaS was failing INP due to heavy third-party scripts (analytics, chat, marketing tags) blocking the main thread. Built a script loading strategy: defer non-critical, replace where possible, isolate the rest. Engineering shipped the changes in two sprints.

Outcome:

Aldernode

CLS fix for late-loading product elements

E-commerce site was failing CLS across product pages due to dynamically inserted reviews, ad slots, and product recommendations. Designed reserved space patterns for each element, deployed image dimension attributes site-wide, eliminated cumulative shift across the catalogue.

Outcome:

FAQs

What is the difference between PageSpeed Insights scores and actual Core Web Vitals ranking impact?

PageSpeed Insights gives you both lab data (synthetic test on Google servers) and field data (real Chrome user experience over 28 days). The field data is what Google uses for ranking signals - the lab data is a diagnostic tool. We work to improve both, but the field data is what moves search visibility.

Will the fixes survive future deploys?

That is what the monitoring engagement is for. The fixes themselves are durable: image pipelines, font loading patterns, layout stability fixes. What is harder to protect is the discipline. New code can reintroduce old problems. Ongoing monitoring catches regressions before they hurt rankings.

Do you write code yourself or just provide specifications?

Both, depending on the work. I write the fixes I can write directly: image optimisation pipelines, lazy loading patterns, font loading rules, layout stability fixes. For framework-level work (code splitting strategies, SSR tuning, hydration patterns), I partner with your engineers rather than touch their core architecture.

How do you measure success?

Three layers. First, lab metrics: PageSpeed Insights improvements visible in the controlled test. Second, field metrics: 28-day Chrome user experience data showing actual user improvements. Third, ranking impact: Search Console Core Web Vitals report showing URLs moved from Poor to Good. The third takes longest but is the one that matters most.

What if our framework limits what we can fix?

Every framework has constraints. Next.js, React, Astro, WordPress all have their own performance patterns and tradeoffs. The audit accounts for what your stack allows. Sometimes the answer is "fix this within the framework". Sometimes the answer is "this issue is the framework choice - here is what to weigh". We work within reality.

Can you fix mobile and desktop together?

Yes. Mobile and desktop are scored separately in Search Console and PSI, but the underlying fixes usually benefit both. Mobile is harder (slower devices, slower networks, smaller viewports), so the audit prioritises mobile by default unless your traffic is desktop-dominant.

How much engineering time do I need to budget?

Depends on the scope of fixes. Quick wins (image optimisation, lazy loading, font loading) typically need 1-2 engineering days. Framework-level work (SSR tuning, code splitting) can be 1-3 weeks. The fix plan includes effort estimates per fix so you can plan capacity. We scope realistically during discovery.

Do I keep the documentation and monitoring setup?

Yes. Everything I deliver is yours: the audit, the root cause analysis, the fix plan, the deployed code, the monitoring setup, the runbook. Your team can maintain CWV going forward using the same patterns.