How many times have you clicked the ‘back’ button on your browser after landing on a slow loading website? We’ve all been there. You’re trying to find something specific online, you click a link and boom – you’re stuck staring at a blank screen waiting for the website to load. This is what happens when websites have poor page speed. But what exactly is page speed and why does it matter?
Page speed is the amount of time it takes for a web page to load. Websites with poor page speed can frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates (when people leave a site after only viewing one page). In addition, slow loading pages can negatively impact search engine optimization (SEO) as Google considers page speed when ranking websites.
Any good web developer knows that optimizing page speed is essential to creating a successful website. Hence, we’re going to take you through everything you need to know about page speed, including why it matters and how to optimize your website for the best results. We’ll also share some of our favorite website speed test tools so you can see how your site stacks up. Let’s dive in!
What Exactly Does Page Speed Mean?
As we’ve mentioned before, page speed is the amount of time it takes for a web page to load. From the time someone enters your URL to the time all content is loaded, that’s your page speed.
Page speed is important for two reasons:
- User experience – No one likes waiting around for a website to load. In fact, 53% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. That means if your website takes even a little longer to load, you could be losing out on potential customers or leads.
- SEO – In addition to impacting user experience, page speed is also a ranking factor for search engines like Google. That means if your website loads slowly, it could hurt your chances of showing up in search results. In fact, Google has even said that they use page speed as a direct ranking factor ever since their “The Page Experience Update” in 2021.
For any business, website, or blog – whether you’re just getting started or you’re a well-established brand – page speed is essential. A slow website can hurt your chances of ranking in search results, increase your bounce rate, and cost you potential customers or leads.
On the other hand, a fast loading website can improve your SEO, help you rank higher in search results, and improve your overall user experience.
Note: Did you know that search engine crawlers have a limited crawl “budget” which is the number of pages they can and will crawl on your site in a specified time frame? This means that if your pages take too long to load, Google’s crawlers may not be able to get to all of the content on your site. This can further impact your website’s ability to rank in search results.
Difference Between Page Speed and Site Speed
Often used interchangeably, page speed and site speed are two slightly different things. Page speed is the measure of how fast a single page loads, while site speed is the measure of how fast your entire website loads.
Take a look at this table showing the difference between the two:
| Page Speed | Site Speed |
| The time it takes to load a single page. | The average time it takes to load all pages on a website. |
| Affects SEO for a single page. | Affects SEO for an entire website. |
| Tied to individual pages. | Tied to the overall performance of a website. |
| Can be improved by optimizing individual pages. | Can be improved by optimizing all pages on a website. |
| Usually requires modifying images, videos, and other content on a page. | Usually requires optimizing the website’s overall structure and code. |
| For e.g., the time it takes to load the home page, product page, blog page, etc. | For e.g., the average time it takes to load all pages on an ecommerce site. |
As you can see, site speed is the more holistic metric, while page speed is more individualized. Since site speed is cumulative, you can improve it by optimizing all the pages on your website. This is why it’s recommended to focus first on each individual page’s page speed, which will then automatically help improve your site speed.
How Is Page Speed Measured?
Most people tend to think that page speed is measured only by the time it takes for the initial request to be made and the page to start loading. However, there are actually multiple metrics that go into measuring page speed.
Here are the most common page speed metrics:
- Time To First Byte (TTFB): This is the time it takes for the browser to receive the first byte of information from the server. Ideal time is less than 200 milliseconds.
- Time To First Draw (TTFD): This is the time it takes for something to appear on the screen after the initial request. Ideal time is less than one second.
- Time To Usability (TTU): This is the time it takes for the page to be fully loaded and usable by the user. Ideal time is less than two to three seconds.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures how long it takes for the biggest element on the page to load. Ideal time is less than 2.5 seconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This measures how much the page layout shifts as it’s loading. This usually happens because different content is loading at different speeds, causing elements to ‘jump’ around on the page.
While some website testing tools will measure all of these metrics, others will focus on just two or three. So when designing a website, developers have to take into account all of these different metrics to ensure a fast loading website.
5 Disadvantages of Slow Page Speed
There are numerous advantages to having a fast website, but there are also several disadvantages of slow page speed. Here are the five most common ones:
- High Bounce Rate
A high bounce rate means that people are leaving your website after only viewing one page. This usually happens because the page took too long to load and the user got frustrated and decided to leave. A high bounce rate can hurt your website’s ranking in search results as well as its conversion rate.
Did you know: If your page load speed increases from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of users bouncing increases by over 53%. And if it increases to 10 seconds, the probability of users bouncing increases by over 123%! This data was provided by Google as part of their SOASTA Research in 2017.
- Lower Search Engine Rankings
As we mentioned before, page speed is a ranking factor for search engines. So if your website’s pages are loading slowly, it’s likely that you’ll have lower rankings in search results. Since SEO is all about getting your website to rank higher in search results, this can have a big impact on traffic and leads.
- Lost Revenue
A slow website can cost you revenue in multiple ways. First, as we mentioned, a slow website will usually have a lower conversion rate since people are more likely to leave before completing a purchase or signup. Second, a slow website can also impact your Google AdSense revenue since ads are less likely to load before people leave.
- Less Traffic
Since lower search engine rankings usually mean less traffic, slow page speed can also lead to less traffic to your website. The more people start leaving your website before it even loads, the less traffic you’ll have in the long run. Google will also stop sending as much traffic your way if it notices that people are bouncing from your site.
- Negative User Experience
Last but not least, slow page speed will always lead to a negative user experience. No one likes waiting for a website to load, and if it takes too long, they’re likely to leave and never come back. A slow website can also make it hard for people to find the information they’re looking for since content is often ‘hidden’ behind slow-loading images or videos.
Keeping all these in mind, we’re sure you now understand the importance of having a fast website. So how can you make sure your pages are loading quickly? Read on to find out!
Note: Here are a few examples of some of the slowest sites on the internet (according to data by Aptimize, a website optimization company) – https://www.smithfieldfoods.com/, https://moconews.net/, https://www.dollartree.com/, https://www.halliburton.com/.
7 Ways to Improve Page Speed
If you’re looking to improve your website’s page speed, there are a few things you can do. Here are seven of the most effective:
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN is a network of servers that deliver content to users based on their location. This means that if your website is hosted in the US but someone in Australia is trying to access it, they’ll be able to do so faster since the content will be delivered from a server closer to them.
- Optimize images: Images are often the biggest culprits when it comes to slow page speed. This is because they’re usually the largest files on a page and take longer to load. You can optimize images by reducing their file size without compromising quality. There are a few ways to do this, including using an image compression tool or setting the correct image resolution.
- Minimize HTTP requests: Every time a user tries to access a page on your website, their browser has to send an HTTP request to your server. This can slow things down, especially if there are a lot of files on the page. You can minimize HTTP requests by using file concatenation (combining multiple files into one) or sprites (combining multiple images into one).
- Enable browser caching: Browser caching allows browsers to store certain files from your website so they don’t have to be downloaded every time someone tries to access a page. This can speed up the loading time for subsequent visits.
- Use a faster hosting provider: If your website is slow, it could be because you’re using a slow hosting provider. It’s worth doing some research to find a faster provider, especially if you have a large website or get a lot of traffic.
- Optimize CSS and JavaScript: CSS and JavaScript are often responsible for slow page speed. This is because they can be render-blocking, meaning they prevent the page from loading until they’re processed. According to Google, CSSNano and UglifyJS are two tools that can help optimize CSS and JavaScript.
- Use asynchronous loading: Asynchronous loading is when the code for a file is loaded “asynchronously,” meaning it doesn’t have to wait for other files to finish loading first. This can speed up the loading time for a page since the browser can process multiple files at the same time.
Implementing even just a few of these page speed optimization techniques can make a big difference in how quickly your pages load. Combined together, you’ll be well on your way to having a lightning-fast website for your users!
Top 3 Page Speed Testing Tools
Maybe you want to check your page speed but you’re not sure where to start. Or, you’ve already tried a few of the optimization techniques we mentioned above but you’re not sure if they’re working.
Luckily, there are a few different tools you can use to test your page speed and see where you need to make improvements. Here are three of our favorites:
1) Google PageSpeed Insights:
Without a doubt, Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool is one of the most popular page speed testing tools out there. Simply enter your URL and it will give you a score from 0-100, with 100 being the fastest. It will also provide you with specific suggestions on how to improve your page speed. Another advantage of this tool is that it analyzes your web pages twice – one for desktop and one for mobile devices – so you can see how your website fares on both.
Link – https://pagespeed.web.dev/
2) GTMetrix
GTMetrix is another popular page speed testing tool which uses a range of grades from A to F, with A being the best. It also provides you with a specific list of recommendations on how to improve your page speed. A huge perk of this tool is that you can choose from a range of 22 different test servers, including those located in different parts of the world. This can be helpful if you want to see how quickly your website loads for users in different geographical locations.
Link – https://gtmetrix.com/
3) Site24x7
Site24x7 uses AI and machine learning to help you monitor, test, and improve your website’s page speed in real-time. It’s not just for page speed either – you can use it to keep an eye on a variety of performance metrics for your entire IT infra. The interface is clean and easy to use, making it a great option for those who want a straightforward way to track their page speed.
Link – https://www.site24x7.com/web-page-analyzer.html
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about page speed and performance:
Q.1. What is a good page load time?
A. A good page load time is one that is as fast as possible. However, what counts as “fast” can vary depending on the type of website you have and your target audience. In general, a page load time of 2 seconds or less is considered to be good. Anything more and the chances of a user bouncing from your site increases exponentially.
Q.2. Does Google prefer faster websites?
A. Yes, Google has stated multiple times that they prefer faster websites and that page speed is a ranking factor in their search algorithm. This is because faster websites provide a better user experience, and Google wants to provide its users with the best possible results.
Q.3. How are page speeds and conversion rates related?
A. Generally speaking, the faster your website loads, the higher your conversion rate will be. This is because users are more likely to stay on and interact with a website that loads quickly, and they are less likely to get frustrated and leave before completing a desired action. In fact, for every one second increase in page speed, conversion rates can increase by 2% (data published by Walmart for their website).
Final Thoughts
In an age where information is readily available at the tap of a button, it’s important that your website can keep up with the user’s needs. Part of providing a good user experience is having a fast website – no one wants to wait around for a slow website to load. Whether you want to have an edge over your competition, or bring in more potential customers, improving your website’s page speed is a great place to start. So what are you waiting for? Get youryou websites blazing fast today!