Whether you're an experienced SEO professional or just starting out, understanding how to monitor your website load speed is important. It's not only about impressing Google (though that's an important part of it); it's also about keeping your visitors happy and engaged. After all, nobody enjoys waiting for a slow website to load, right? Fortunately, with the correct tools, you can easily test the performance of your website. Whether you're looking to address slow-loading pages or simply want to see how your site compares, we'll guide you through some basic strategies to evaluate and improve page load speed for better SEO performance!
How to Check Page Load Speed for SEO:
If you want a straightforward Page Load speed number:
Navigate to: https://tools.pingdom.com/
Insert your page URL
Select the location that is closer to your target audience
Click on "Start Test"
Advise the "Load time" metric
📝 Note: that the load time will not be universally true for all the people who access your website. It doesn't mean that every time someone lands on your website, the page will take the specified time to load.
Page load time varies based on a lot of criteria, including the internet connection of user site, location of access, and other background website settings.
If you would like to analyse page speed in more detail:
Navigate to: https://gtmetrix.com/
Create an account for free
Insert your page's URL
Navigate to Performance
Definition of the page load metrics:
Speed Index:
Definition: The equivalent of page load time.
Best practice: A good user experience is 1.3s or less.
First Contentful Paint:
Definition: How quickly content like text or images are painted onto your page.
Best practice: A good user experience is 0.9s or less.
Optimization: Optimize all images and videos on your website; convert them into the lightest format and compress the size.
Largest Contentful Paint:
Definition: How long it takes for the largest / heaviest element of content (i.e., a hero image) to be painted on your page.
Best practice: A good user experience is 1.2s or less.
Optimization: Optimize all images and videos on your website; convert them into the lightest format and compress the size.
Time to Interactive:
Definition: How long it takes for your page to become fully interactive (e.g. buttons on your website).
Depends on server, technology, coding, plugins, etc.
Best practice: A good user experience is 2.5s or less.
Optimization: Consult a web developer.
Total Blocking Time:
Definition: How much time is blocked by scripts and trackers (e.g. Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, etc) during your page loading process.
Best practice: A good user experience is 150ms or less.
Optimization: Audit all the trackers you have behind the scenes and remove the ones that are obsolete.
Cumulative Layout Shift:
Definition: How much your page's layout shifts as it loads.
Best practice: A good user experience is a score of 0.1 or less.
Optimization: Reduce interactive elements as much as possible, or consult a web developer.
💡 Tip: If you can't consult a professional web developer, you can go with ready-made solutions such as Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace. These platforms are best and more optimized for smaller companies that are just starting out, as opposed to a custom-built website.
Frequently Asked Questions on Page Load Speed for SEO
What is page load speed?
Page load speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to fully load and display all its content, including text, images, and interactive elements. It is measured from the moment a user clicks a link to when the page is completely loaded.
Why is page load speed important for SEO?
Page load speed is crucial for SEO because:
Google uses page speed as a ranking factor (helps boost search rankings)
Faster pages provide better user experience (reducing bounce rates and increasing time on site)
Improved speed can lead to higher conversion rates
How does Google measure page speed?
Google uses various metrics (Core Web Vitals) to measure page speed, including:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): time it takes to render the largest content element visible in the viewport.
Ideal: 2.5seconds or faster
First Input Delay (FID): time from when a user first interacts with your site to the time when the browser is able to respond to that interaction
Ideal: 100 milliseconds or less
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): how much unexpected layout shift occurs during the entire lifespan of the page
Ideal: 0.1 or less
Does mobile page speed affect SEO differently than desktop?
Yes, mobile page speed is particularly important for SEO because:
Google uses mobile-first indexing
Mobile users often have slower internet connections
Mobile users often have different expectations and behaviors compared to desktop users
Mobile devices typically have less processing power
Many local searches are performed on mobile devices
What are common factors that slow down page load speed?
Common factors that slow down page load speed include:
Large, unoptimized images
Excessive HTTP requests
Render-blocking JavaScript and CSS
Unminified code
Slow server response time
Lack of browser caching
Unoptimized databases
Excessive use of plugins or widgets
Multiple redirects
Lage page size
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