Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) Benchmarks by

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) quantifies how much visible content shifts unexpectedly during page load. Google rates a CLS score of 0.1 or less as “good” and anything above 0.25 as “poor.” Unlike other Core Web Vitals, CLS measures visual stability rather than speed, making it a distinct challenge that requires different optimization strategies.

The Impact of Layout Shifts on SEO

Layout shifts frustrate users by causing misclicks, lost reading positions, and an overall sense of instability. From an SEO perspective, poor CLS scores contribute to higher bounce rates and lower dwell times. Google factors CLS into page experience signals, meaning sites with excessive layout shifts face ranking penalties relative to more stable competitors.

In 2026, CLS remains one of the most commonly failed Core Web Vitals metrics. While LCP and INP have seen significant improvements through better tooling and awareness, layout shift issues persist because they often originate from third-party scripts, dynamic ad placements, and lazy-loaded content without proper dimension reservations.

Industry Performance

E-commerce sites struggle with CLS due to product image carousels, dynamic pricing badges, and late-loading promotional banners. The median CLS of 0.12 sits just above Google’s “good” threshold, meaning most e-commerce sites are borderline. Top performers achieve 0.04 by reserving explicit dimensions for all media elements and loading above-the-fold content synchronously.

SaaS websites perform comparatively well with a median CLS of 0.08. Simpler page structures and fewer dynamic ad placements contribute to better stability. Leading SaaS sites achieve near-zero CLS by using skeleton screens and fixed-dimension containers.

Media sites have the worst CLS scores across all verticals, with a median of 0.18. Ad injection is the primary culprit, as programmatic ad slots frequently resize or appear after initial page render. Even top media sites struggle to achieve scores below 0.06.

Healthcare sites sit at a median of 0.11, often affected by cookie consent banners, dynamic content blocks, and embedded patient portal widgets that load asynchronously.

Finance sites lead the pack with a median CLS of 0.07. Conservative design approaches, minimal third-party scripts, and text-heavy layouts naturally produce more stable pages.

Reducing CLS Effectively

The most reliable ways to lower CLS include setting explicit width and height attributes on all images and videos, reserving space for ad slots and embeds before they load, avoiding dynamic content insertion above existing content, and using CSS contain properties to isolate layout changes. Font loading strategies also matter — using font-display: swap with proper fallback sizing prevents text-triggered shifts.

Auditite tracks CLS across every page in your site and identifies the specific elements causing shifts, so your team can prioritize fixes based on actual user impact rather than guesswork.