Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
The latency between a user interaction and the next visual update on the page.
Key takeaways
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is the latency between a user interaction and the next visual update on the page.
- Use real-user data to find the interactions and templates with slow INP.
- Avoid: testing only page load and never measuring interactions.
What is Interaction to Next Paint (INP)?
INP replaced FID as a Core Web Vital in 2024. Aim for under 200ms (Google) or under 150ms (our internal budget). Heavy third party scripts are usually the worst offenders.
How INP is measured, and how to improve it, is covered in web.dev's guide to Interaction to Next Paint.
Why Interaction to Next Paint (INP) matters for SEO in 2026
INP measures how quickly a page responds when someone taps, clicks or types. A page can load fast and still feel broken if every interaction lags, and that frustration costs conversions.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full SEO glossary or explore the SEO and GEO service we run for clients.
How to apply Interaction to Next Paint (INP) on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put Interaction to Next Paint (INP) into practice on your own pages:
- Use real-user data to find the interactions and templates with slow INP.
- Break up long JavaScript tasks and defer work that isn't needed straight away.
- Audit third-party scripts such as chat widgets, tag managers and A/B testing tools.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with Interaction to Next Paint (INP) fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Testing only page load and never measuring interactions.
- Running heavy analytics or animation code on every click.
- Adding scripts without anyone owning their performance cost.
Questions about Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
The latency between a user interaction and the next visual update on the page.
INP measures how quickly a page responds when someone taps, clicks or types. A page can load fast and still feel broken if every interaction lags, and that frustration costs conversions.
Start here: use real-user data to find the interactions and templates with slow INP. Then break up long JavaScript tasks and defer work that isn't needed straight away.
The most common is testing only page load and never measuring interactions. Another is running heavy analytics or animation code on every click.