How to Improve Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

How to improve Interaction to Next Paint (INP)

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) measures how quickly your website responds when a user interacts with it—such as clicking a button, tapping a menu, or submitting a form. INP replaced First Input Delay (FID) as Google’s primary interactivity metric because it provides a more accurate picture of real user experience.

A good INP score is under 200 milliseconds. Anything slower can make your website feel laggy or unresponsive.

What Causes a Poor INP Score?

Several common issues can slow down your website’s interactivity:

  • Heavy JavaScript execution
  • Long tasks blocking the main thread
  • Too many third-party scripts
  • Inefficient event handlers
  • Large, bloated page builders

How to Improve INP

1. Reduce JavaScript Execution Time

JavaScript is one of the biggest contributors to poor INP. You can improve responsiveness by:

  • Removing unused JavaScript
  • Splitting large scripts into smaller chunks
  • Deferring non-essential scripts
  • Minifying JavaScript files

Learn more: Optimizing JavaScript & CSS

2. Break Up Long Tasks

Long tasks (over 50ms) block the main thread and delay user interactions. Breaking them into smaller tasks helps the browser respond faster.

3. Optimize Event Handlers

Slow or inefficient event handlers can delay interactions. Make sure your click, scroll, and input handlers are lightweight and optimized.

4. Reduce Third-Party Scripts

Tools like chat widgets, analytics, and tracking scripts can slow down your website. Remove any scripts you don’t need and replace heavy tools with lighter alternatives.

5. Improve Server Response Time

Slow servers can delay how quickly your website responds to user actions. Upgrading your hosting or using a faster provider can help.

Learn more: How Hosting Impacts Website Performance

How to Measure INP

You can measure INP using tools like:

  • Google PageSpeed Insights
  • Google Search Console
  • Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX)
  • WebPageTest

Learn more: Tools for Testing Website Performance

Need Help Improving Your INP Score?

If your website feels unresponsive or you’re unsure how to optimize JavaScript, hosting, or event handling, I can help you improve INP and create a smoother, more responsive experience for your visitors.

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