In our modern day culture, we’ve grown used to getting the things we want almost instantaneously. The internet is no exception, people expect the websites they visit to load almost instantly. As a result, page load speed has become an increasingly important factor for businesses to consider as they develop their online presence and plan their SEO strategies. This blog post will talk about why website loading speed matters, how to measure your website’s performance, and how to improve website speed. 

Why Page Speed Matters

There are a ton of factors that go into what pages rank on Google for a given keyword. One significant (but often overlooked) factor is page speed. In addition to being an important factor in SEO, page speed is an important aspect of user experience on your website. According to Google, 53% of mobile users will leave a site that takes longer than three seconds to load. Approximately half of all search traffic is on mobile, meaning that a website that loads in more than 3 seconds loses a fourth of all potential organic traffic simply due to the effects of slow load times on the user experience. 

How to Measure your Website’s Speed

Before you attempt to improve your website’s speed, it’s important to determine how well your website is currently performing. One of the best tools to measure your website’s load speed is Google’s PageSpeed Insights. This tool will give your website a score between 0 to 100 based on how quickly your site loads. Furthermore, this tool will provide you with a number of recommendations you can implement to improve page speed.

How to Improve your Website’s Speed

Here are a few tips that are likely to improve your page speed and SEO:

Shrink and Compress your images 

Images are among the most common causes of slow loading times, their large size can drastically impact website performance. Many websites have images whose file sizes are larger than the image being displayed on the website. If this is the case, you can shrink your images, reducing their file sizes and improving website speeds. After doing that, you can compress your images, this will reduce their file size without degrading their quality.   

Minimize the number of plugins you’re using 

This is only relevant to those using WordPress websites, but is important nonetheless. If you have plugins running on your WordPress website that you aren’t utilizing, inactivate them. Similar to large, uncompressed images, plugins will slow down your page load speed.

Minify Code

The HTML, CSS, and Javascript on most websites have file sizes that are larger than necessary. By minifying/compressing the code, you’ll remove unnecessary characters from the code, allowing your pages to load faster. 

Switch hosting providers

This shouldn’t be the first step taken to make a slow website faster. If you’re still experiencing poor load times despite using the tips above and implementing recommendations from PageSpeed Insights, you may need to consider a new web hosting provider. Picking a new host can be difficult as there are a lot of options, but if a slow host is your issue, you’ll likely see an increased website speed after switching hosts. 

Creating a fast website is crucial to generating revenue through SEO. That said, it’s one of many steps needed to implement a successful SEO strategy. Do you need guidance on how you can use SEO to grow your business? Kash Data Technology LLC provides a wide range of services to Dallas area small businesses looking to boost their visibility and gain customers. We can help with SEO, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Social Media Marketing, Local Search Marketing, YouTube Optimization, and content writing to clients in Plano, Frisco, Allen and the surrounding DFW Metroplex. Please contact us by online form or email (info@datatechnologyllc.com).  

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About the Author:

Kendall Horn is a native Texan with a passion for growing small businesses with SEO. When he isn’t writing content you can probably find him playing hockey at the local ice rink or spending time with family and friends. Check him out on LinkedIn.