What Is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)?
Cumulative Layout Shift measures how much your website’s content moves around while loading. Google uses CLS as a ranking factor to determine search results.
When you visit a website, elements like images, ads, or text blocks sometimes jump to different positions. This creates a poor user experience. CLS tracks these unexpected movements and assigns your site a score.
Why CLS Matters for Your Business
Google considers CLS when ranking websites in search results. Sites with high CLS scores rank lower. This means fewer potential customers find your business online.
Poor CLS also hurts user experience. Visitors leave websites that feel unstable or confusing. Studies show that 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load or feel unstable.
What Causes High CLS Scores
Several factors create layout shifts on your website:
• Images without specified dimensions
• Ads that load after other content
• Web fonts that load slowly
• Third-party widgets like chat boxes
• Dynamic content that appears after page load
How to Measure Your CLS Score
Google provides free tools to check your CLS:
• PageSpeed Insights
• Google Search Console
• Chrome DevTools
Your CLS score should be below 0.1 for good performance. Scores between 0.1 and 0.25 need improvement. Anything above 0.25 requires immediate attention.
Fixing CLS Problems
Set image and video dimensions in your website code. This reserves space before content loads.
Use font-display: swap in your CSS for web fonts. This prevents text from jumping when custom fonts load.
Reserve space for ads and dynamic content. Plan where these elements will appear before they load.
Avoid inserting content above existing content unless responding to user actions.
The Business Impact
Websites with good CLS scores see measurable benefits:
• Higher search rankings
• Increased organic traffic
• Better user engagement
• Lower bounce rates
• More conversions
Amazon found that every 100ms of load time improvement increased revenue by 1%. Layout stability contributes directly to perceived performance.
Getting Professional Help
Web developers and SEO specialists understand CLS optimization. They audit your site, identify problems, and implement fixes.
Many business owners lack the technical knowledge to fix CLS issues themselves. Professional help ensures proper implementation without breaking your website.
Monitoring CLS Over Time
CLS scores change as you update your website. Regular monitoring prevents new problems from hurting your search rankings.
Set up monthly checks using Google’s tools. Address any increases in CLS scores quickly.
Your website’s stability affects both search rankings and customer experience. Fixing CLS problems protects your online visibility and revenue.
