Why is site speed so important?
In the early days of the web, our mantra was “Content is king.” These days, if content really is king, the queen is speed. They go hand in hand. The best content or even product or service in the world won’t be noticed on a slow website.
User Experience (Usability)
As we said earlier, a slow website can lead to a poor user experience. This can cause visitors to leave the site and potentially lead to a high bounce rate. A fast website, on the other hand, leads to a better user experience, which increases user engagement. When people don’t have to wait for the page they want to read to load slowly, they are more likely to stick around to read it. If that page is selling them your widgets, then they are more likely to buy them because they read your page.
Ranking Factor (Visibility)
Search engine algorithms have taken website speed into account for a few years now. All things being equal, if you have two websites that have equally good content on a given topic, the faster one will rank higher. Additionally, a faster website can lead to a better user experience, which can also have a positive impact on SEO .
All search engines have announced that they now use website speed as a ranking factor for their mobile search results. This means that a website that is not optimized for speed may rank lower in mobile search results than a faster website, which could lead to a decrease in both traffic and revenue.
Website speed optimization is critical for your business if your users are primarily mobile.
Conversion (for eCommerce sites)
When a website is slow, users may become frustrated and abandon their shopping carts, leading to lost revenue for your business. A fast website, on the other hand, can provide a seamless shopping experience, which will increase conversions and ultimately generate more revenue.
Amazon is famous for calculating the price of a second of loading time. The slower their site loads, the less they sell, and they know exactly how much. You may not be able to calculate your loss that way, but you will find that when you optimize your website speed, your sales will increase.
In short, if you're not getting the page views you think you should, it may be time to optimize your website speed. Optimizing your website speed can lead to a better user experience, better search engine rankings, and increased revenue. Here are our top website optimization tips and tricks:
How to check your website's performance
There are many good tools on the web to help you calculate your website speed so you can know if your site is running fast or not.
SiteGround Optimizer and Google PageSpeed Plugin
One of the best tools for measuring website speed metrics is Google PageSpeed. There are several tools you can use to increase your site’s PageSpeed score, my favorite being the SiteGround Optimizer plugin . I have it installed on almost all of my WordPress sites and by using it, my Google PageSpeed score is just a couple of clicks away. If you already have SiteGround Optimizer installed , simply click on the menu and select “Speed Test.” If you don’t have SiteGround Optimizer installed yet, it’s free and works even if you’re not hosted with SiteGround.
As an added bonus, if your score isn't as high as you'd like, SiteGround Optimizer will help you increase it. After implementing the suggestions SiteGround Optimizer had for one of my more graphic-heavy sites, here's my Google PageSpeed score.
Yeah, it's not bad at all.
webpagetest.org
The other tool I've used for the past 10 years is webpagetest.org. While Google PageSpeed boils everything down to three easy-to-understand numbers, if you want to dig into the details, you need a tool like webpagetest.org. It gives most website owners more information that can be easily digested, but if you spend the time to learn what the numbers mean, it can give you detailed information about why your website loads the way it does. webpagetest.org also lets you configure things like desktop or mobile, where you're testing from, etc.
6 Undeniable Website Optimization Tips
Now that we’ve talked about why website speed optimization is so iran whatsapp number data important, let’s talk about six things you, as a non-technical website owner, can do to ensure you’re running at optimal speed.
Achieve ultra-fast loading times by choosing the right host
Choosing the right web host is one of the most important factors in website speed optimization. It's also the first decision you need to make. Honestly, if your host is slow, none of these optimization tips are going to make much of a difference.
Choose a website theme that doesn't drag you down
If your site uses WordPress, the theme you choose for your WordPress website will have a significant impact on its speed. A well-designed and optimized theme can help improve website speed and performance, while a poorly designed theme can have the opposite effect.
Every theme can stand to lose a little weight, even the best ones. So, to help your site reach its maximum speed, make sure you have SiteGround Optimizer installed and configured. As mentioned above, it can really make a difference in your site’s overall speed.
