Page Speed: Improve Your Ranking and Conversion
PageSpeed, also known as load speed in the SEO universe, is an important part of core web vitals.
Google first introduced page speed as a ranking factor in their search algorithm in 2010.
Initially, it was primarily focused on desktop search results.
In 2018, Google expanded its importance, including page speed as a ranking factor for mobile search results as well.
Page speed is an essential ranking factor for webpages, you can say, just as oxygen is for human life.
But, a question arises: why?
I will give you some evidence so your brain can believe this statement. Before going into
Depth lets you activate your subconscious mind as well as all senses.
Imagine you have visited two websites: one has a loading time of 10 seconds, and the other's loading time is the speed of light.
Which one would you prefer? I'd prefer the second one without any hesitation.
Google always tries to improve the user experience, and speed is one of them.
I studied all the top media and E-commerce sites and found that every site loads in less than 2 seconds on mobile phones.
I hope you understand the power of page speed.
Why does page speed matter more than you think?
The one-line answer is that it enhances user experience and rankings of your website.
But, there is far beyond a one-line answer.
Here is the satisfying evidence:
Page speed = money:
Walmart discovered that for every 1-second improvement in page load time, conversions increased by up to 2%.
Amazon estimated that a one-second delay could cost them $1.6 billion in sales annually.
Your site might not be Amazon, but scale that logic to your revenue and you’ll see why speed is money.
Speed = higher rankings:
Google has confirmed that page speed is a ranking factor for both desktop and mobile searches.
A 2022 Backlinko study found that the average Google first-page result loads in 1.65 seconds.
The faster your site, the better your shot at being seen.
Slow pages kill conversions:
According to Google, the probability of a mobile user bouncing increases by 32% as page load time goes from 1 to 3 seconds.
It jumps to 90% by 5 seconds.
If you’re running a business, a slow site is like having a shop with the lights off and the door locked.
High speed = better engagement time
A good user experience directly affects your engagement time and dramatically reduces your bounce rate.
Better engagement means more interaction with your products & services.
How to measure page speed?
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. - Lord Kelvin
Measurement is critical before improvement.
I am providing you with step-by-step instructions on how to calculate and grade your PageSpeed.
Step #1: Go to PageSpeed Insight
Step #2: Paste your website URL into this search and hit the Analyze button.
Step #3: PageSpeed Insight provides you with a report like this:
This is a page speed report of Amazon, showing passed.
Wait…. What if your website failed in the Page Speed Insight test?
First, you should familiarize yourself with the criteria of Google Page Speed Insights.
PageSpeed Score Grading:
90–100: Good (Green) - No need to do anything.
50–89: Needs Improvement (Orange) - Requires some improvement.
0–49: Poor (Red) - have to do a lot of work.
Google's criteria for PageSpeed:
Google uses PageSpeed Insights (PSI) to evaluate both mobile and desktop performance based on specific criteria.
Good | Need Improvement | Poor | |
|---|---|---|---|
FCP | ≤ 1.8 seconds | 1.8s-3s | >3s |
LCP | ≤ 2.5 seconds | 2.5s-4s | >4s |
INP | <0.2s | 0.2-0.5s | >0.5s |
TTFB | <0.8s | 0.8-1.8s | >1.8s |
Source: https://developers.google.com/speed/docs/insights/v5/about
I hope you found your PageSpeed. Now let’s jump into the next step.