Interaction to Next Paint (INP) emerges as a new Core Web Vital metric emphasizing responsiveness, set to replace First Input Delay on March 4, 2024. The process of optimization for INP is facilitated with the utilization of suitable tools for monitoring and tracking.
What Is Interaction to Next Paint (INP)?
INP measures the duration between a user’s action, such as clicking a button or typing, and the moment the website provides visual feedback. It serves as a metric indicating the delay in visual feedback following a user interaction.
The premise underlying this metric is that a lack of responsiveness in a webpage diminishes user experience. For instance, when a visitor adds a product to their shopping cart, immediate visual feedback should confirm the action. INP specifically measures the duration during which visual feedback is delayed, not the time taken to execute the action itself.
Lower INP scores signify quicker response times, the desired outcome. Optimal INP scores fall below 200 milliseconds. JavaScript and CSS are key areas for INP optimization.
Below are the metrics that the INP measures:
- Mouse clicks
- Touches on touchscreen-enabled devices
- Keystrokes on keyboards (both physical and virtual)
The Best INP Measurement And Optimization Tools
No single tool can singularly resolve INP issues, as they often stem from the JavaScript and CSS used by themes, plugins, features, and additional functionalities on a webpage.
For instance, integrating an image carousel or animation effects introduces additional JavaScript and CSS code, potentially detrimentally impacting INP scores. Simply minifying JavaScript and CSS may not suffice, underscoring the importance of auditing the code to pinpoint elements hindering the webpage’s and user’s objectives.
Google’s New Interaction to Next Paint (INP) to Replace First Input Delay on March 12
Therefore, the primary function of an INP optimization tool is to identify barriers or delays impeding visual feedback following a user interaction.
Tools for Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
- Google Site Kit – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed: Google Site Kit, installed on over 4 million WordPress websites, offers an efficient method to integrate Google search data directly into the WordPress dashboard, ensuring convenient access within the WordPress environment. This tool provides insights from PageSpeed Insights and Search Console, offering actionable recommendations for improvement.
- Chrome Web Vitals Library: An advanced tool is available for measuring core web vitals metrics directly from real site visitors, deployable by individual publishers on their respective web servers. This tool helps publishers access genuine core web vitals scores, facilitating the troubleshooting of actual webpage issues. Further information and a comprehensive explainer can be found here.
- DebugBear Interaction to Next Paint Tool (Free And Paid Versions): DebugBear, a widely-used page speed monitoring tool, offers both free and pro versions. The pro version includes features such as scheduled tests, event notifications, and performance tests for previewing impacts before deployment, among other benefits. However, DebugBear also provides free tools, such as the excellent Interaction to Next Paint tool. This tool crawls webpages, diagnoses issues, and offers actionable tips for resolving Interaction To Next Paint problems.
- TREO Site Speed: TREO’s site speed tool provides exceptionally rapid Page Speed analysis accompanied by an appealing user interface that is both clear and user-friendly.
- Web Vitals Chrome Extension: The Web Vitals Chrome extension presents essential web vitals metrics, including INP. One notable feature of this extension is its distinctive heads-up display (HUD) that overlays the webpage, providing valuable assistance during webpage development or modification.
Best Tools for Google’s INP Metric
Although INP may not directly influence rankings, it remains a valuable metric in creating the quickest page experience. Enhanced site speed is recognized to boost sales, clicks, and ad views, aligning with signals that Google considers in its ranking criteria.
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