Exciting news for web developers, marketers, and SEO enthusiasts! Earlier this year, Google delivered an upgraded version of their website auditing tool – namely Lighthouse 10. And while the Monsido Performance Module has always used Google Lighthouse – we're excited to announce that it’s now been upgraded to Lighthouse 10.
With significant improvements and exciting changes, this update can help you take your web page performance to newer and even more modern standards. So, let's delve into the details of Lighthouse 10's transformation, uncover the metrics that have replaced the former Time to Interactive (TTI) metric, and explore the new audits that will revolutionize your web pages.
What This Means for Your Website
For those unfamiliar with TTI, it was a crucial Google metric that measured the time it takes for a web page to become fully interactive and accessible to users. However, with the release of Lighthouse 10, TTI has been removed from its metric box, making room for new metrics that enhance the ability for more granular web page improvements.
So, what has changed and why? Lighthouse 10 now focuses primarily on Cumulative Layout Shift (CSL) instead of TTI which now accounts for 25% of the total score (versus 10% for TTI). The team behind Lighthouse 10 found that web pages tend to score better on CSL, along with other metrics, such as Speed Index, Total Blocking Time (TBT), and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). By prioritizing these metrics, Lighthouse 10 aims to provide a more accurate representation of a webpage's loading experience and user interactivity.
The removal of TTI was expected to have a positive impact on webpage scores, with approximately 90% of pages witnessing enhancements. In fact, over 50% of web pages are predicted to see their scores improve by an impressive 5 points. This shift not only benefits web developers but also marketers and SEO agencies seeking to improve their page rankings and expand their audience base.
Understanding the Power of the Light-Side
As a part of this upgrade, Lighthouse 10 also introduced two new audits that contribute to the overall performance enhancement. The first audit is the bfcache (back/forward cache), which allows pages to be restored almost instantly by skipping unnecessary loading activities. This means users no longer have to wait for a page to reload when they click the back or forward button. Instead, you can swiftly access previously visited pages, streamlining your browsing experience.
The second audit is paste-preventing inputs which meant users previously were not able to copy-paste into certain fields. This had previously been improved for password fields, so that users could copy/paste when needed. In Lighthouse 10, the new enhancement empowers users to copy-paste into read-only input fields, such as a drop-down choice of country.
Those experienced in the realm of digital marketing will already understand the significance of Lighthouse 10, and how this improvement can elevate their web pages' quality and attract more visitors than ever before.
By removing TTI and focusing on metrics that actually make a difference to the user experience – the Lighthouse audit now offer a more comprehensive understanding of a webpage's performance, page speed and user satisfaction.
This means that web developers, marketers, and SEO agencies can now unleash the full potential of their web pages, witnessing significant score enhancements and attracting a larger audience base. With the inclusion of new audits, like bfcache, the browsing experience is now more streamlined, making it easier and faster for users to access previously visited pages.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that the new Lighthouse 10 update will pave the way for modern web performance, optimization and governance standards. Ready to ensure your website is up-to-speed? Lighthouse 10 metrics are now available in Monsido's Performance Module, enabling you to leverage its powerful features right away. And what’s even better is that Monsido allows you to track your performance over time – so you can ensure your website’s performance is always staying ahead of the game.
Want to learn more about the Performance Module? Book a demo to get a guided tour of this tool and other optimization solutions from Monsido.
