![\"Fast](\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/fast-speed-800px.jpg\")
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There are many reasons to care about the speed of your website. For SEO and marketing impact, here are three: 1) Page speed and performance are Google ranking factors; 2) Page performance can directly impact your ability to keep users on your site; and 3) Page speed can directly impact your revenue.<\/p>\n
But is your site fast enough? In this article, I\u2019ll overview why website speed is important, site speed targets, common issues that impact page speed, and why and when to fix them. Feel free to jump ahead:<\/p>\n
Fast websites are better for the end user. A slow site can cause visitors to bounce from your site and your business to lose revenue. Not only that, but you want the search engines to be able to move quickly through your site.<\/p>\n
Consider this:<\/p>\n
A fast site is especially crucial for mobile users, who tend to search on the go and with varying internet connection speeds. Google says<\/a> that:<\/p>\n Our data shows that while more than half of overall web traffic comes from mobile, mobile conversion rates are lower than desktop. In short, speed equals revenue.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Besides its importance for user experience and conversions, site speed also significantly impacts your rankings and organic traffic. Page speed is already a lightweight ranking factor<\/a>. But speed and performance will gain focus in Google\u2019s upcoming page experience ranking update<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition, if enough visitors quickly bounce back to the search results after clicking on your page due to a slow load time, it may also hurt your rankings via RankBrain<\/a>.<\/p>\n Optimizing your page speed is tricky. A lot of things that can impact page speed are out of your control as a website publisher. This includes the website visitor\u2019s internet service provider and package, their device\u2019s performance, and so much more.<\/p>\n However, there is a lot that is in your control, too. And this is what Google cares about. Common page speed issues fall into these three categories: cache, bandwidth, and server processing and rendering.<\/p>\n Remember, speed and performance go beyond just load time. It\u2019s multifaceted. As Google points out<\/a>, \u201cHistorically, web performance has been measured with the load event. However, even though load is a well-defined moment in a page’s lifecycle, that moment doesn’t necessarily correspond with anything the user cares about.\u201d<\/p>\n Google goes on to illustrate how performance is relative:<\/p>\n So when talking about performance, it’s important to be precise and to refer to performance in terms of objective criteria that can be quantitatively measured.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In other words, load time counts, but there are a lot of metrics to address in order to improve common speed and performance issues. And the list is only going to grow \u2014 Google is introducing Core Web Vitals<\/a> into the algorithm mix in its page experience ranking update (scheduled to roll out between June and August 2021).<\/p>\n To learn more about speed and performance:<\/p>\n Google once said<\/a> that mobile sites should \u201cdeliver and render the above-the-fold (ATF) content in under one second.\u201d However, Google research from 2018<\/a> found that there were different benchmarks for page speed performance per industry. (Note that these benchmarks have likely decreased since then).<\/p>\n Other Google data shows that as page load time goes from one second to three seconds<\/a>, the probability of the searcher bouncing increases by 32%. And that number jumps to 90% when page load time goes from one second to five seconds.<\/p>\n Remember that each performance metric has its own thresholds. So the goal is to understand speed and performance metrics and individually optimize for them.<\/p>\n You want to make your website as fast as possible for your users within what is reasonable to do.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that these improvements can be time-consuming and expensive. When analyzing things like your PageSpeed Insights score, for example, have the professionals review it and then pick your battles. It may be really hard to improve it past a certain threshold and not worth the resources to do so.<\/p>\n So how fast is fast enough?<\/strong> As I\u2019ve said many times before, SEO should beat the competition<\/a>. So see what the norm is for your industry. Analyze the pages that are ranking on Page 1 of Google by running them through a page speed tool.<\/p>\n Remember that Google once said when referring to its page speed ranking signal that it uses \u201ca variety of sources to determine the speed of a site relative to other sites.\u201d<\/p>\n That means that if all of your top-ranked competitors have similar load times (even if they are slow), and your webpage load time falls into that range, it should be considered normal.<\/p>\n However, if you are an outlier (meaning your site is way slower), it could impact rankings<\/a> negatively.<\/p>\n There are plenty of ways to analyze your webpages and improve their performance. Some basic best practices for webpage speed include:<\/p>\n The trick is to identify the issues dragging down your performance metrics and then prioritize the work. You want to tackle the biggest culprits that will bring the greatest performance improvement first.<\/p>\n And if you haven\u2019t started yet, it\u2019s time. Here are some resources to dig deeper:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for answers to your technical SEO issues, we can help. <\/em><\/strong>Contact us for a free quote<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and let\u2019s talk.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The load time of your website immensely affects user experience and search engine optimization (SEO). Furthermore, its speed can have an immediate effect on both aspects. A slow-loading site frustrates visitors and often leads to high bounce rates. In fact, studies have shown that even a mere second’s delay can result in a noticeable drop in conversions.<\/p>\n Search engines such as Google factor website speed into their ranking algorithms when assigning rank rankings to websites. Faster websites are generally favored in search results because they offer a better user experience. This means that sluggish loading times disappoint visitors and push your website lower in search rankings. In the competitive digital landscape, where every click counts, neglecting website speed can harm your online visibility.<\/p>\n Optimizing your website’s speed involves various strategies, such as efficient coding, image compression, and minimizing HTTP requests. Prioritize using browser caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) to distribute content across multiple servers, reducing latency. Streamlining your website’s code and scripts can significantly improve loading times, enhancing user experience and SEO. Regularly monitoring your site’s speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix can provide valuable insights and help you fine-tune performance.<\/p>\n Every second matters in the race to capture user attention and secure a prominent spot in search results. Beyond technical aspects, website speed is intertwined with psychological factors. Users perceive fast-loading sites as more trustworthy and professional, which bolsters your brand’s credibility. Additionally, the advent of mobile browsing amplifies the importance of speed, as mobile users often have limited bandwidth and less patience for sluggish websites.<\/p>\n The speed of your website serves as a linchpin for exceptional user experience and SEO success. Swift-loading sites attract and retain visitors, driving conversions and reducing bounce rates. Moreover, search engines reward fast websites with higher rankings, increasing organic traffic.<\/p>\n Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Optimize Your Website’s Speed for User Experience and SEO<\/strong><\/p>\n By following these steps, you can comprehensively optimize your website’s speed, thereby enhancing user experience and boosting your SEO efforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How fast is fast enough? Find out how fast your webpages should be and the reasons why having a high-performing website matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":90493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1669,1232,1660,1705,1761],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<\/a>Why Do Page Speed Issues Happen?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>How Fast Your Webpage Should Be, According to Google<\/h2>\n
![\"Average](\"https:\/\/www.bruceclay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/speed-benchmarks-per-industry-e1614278440711.png\")
<\/a>How Fast Should Your Webpage Really Be?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>How to Speed Up Your Website<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>FAQ: Why is the speed of my website crucial for user experience and SEO?<\/h3>\n
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