What is Page Speed?
Page speed refers to the time it takes for a web page to load and display for users, typically measured in seconds. It is important for both user experience and overall website performance.
Since 2018, Google has considered page speed as a ranking factor for mobile searches. In 2021, it incorporated page experience signals, including Core Web Vitals, as speed metrics into its ranking criteria. Recent studies indicate that users are likely to leave a page if it takes longer than 3-4 seconds to load.
Factors Influencing Page Speed
Hosting
Selecting a reliable web hosting provider is important for optimal website performance. Choose a hosting solution with a robust infrastructure, sufficient resources, and well-optimised server configurations. A slow server response can significantly hinder page load speed, so investing in a hosting plan that guarantees fast and dependable performance is vital.
Images
Images often make up a substantial portion of a webpage’s total size. Optimise images by compressing them without sacrificing quality. Use suitable image formats (e.g., JPEG, PNG, or WebP) and consider lazy loading techniques to ensure images load only as they become visible to the user. Reducing image file sizes and deferring their loading can greatly enhance page speed.
Caching
Utilise browser caching to store static files locally on users’ devices, including CSS, JavaScript, and images, allowing subsequent site visits to load these files from the cache rather than making additional requests to the server. Implementing caching mechanisms can decrease page load times and improve user experience.
Minification
Minify your website’s HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters, whitespace, and comments. Smaller file sizes lead to faster downloads, ultimately speeding up page rendering. Numerous tools and plugins are available to automate the minification process, simplifying implementation.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
Implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN) involves distributing your website’s files across multiple servers around the globe. When a user requests your site, the CDN automatically serves the content from the server closest to their location. This reduces data travel distances, minimises latency, and ensures faster page loading times regardless of the user’s location.
Mobile Optimisation
With the growing number of mobile users, optimising your website for mobile devices is unavoidable. Mobile optimisation includes creating responsive designs, reducing the size of resources, and minimising unnecessary scripts. By catering to mobile users, you improve their browsing experience and enhance page speed, which can positively impact search engine rankings.
