Is website speed THAT important?
In the digital world, having a website that loads quickly is imperative. Your website is often the first impression that prospective clients will get of you and your business. A website that loads quickly will give a strong first impression and keep users interested enough to hopefully look around. These days, everyone is busy and attention spans are short. If a page doesn’t load quickly, your users will leave. Website speed matters!
More reasons why website speed matters
Not only will you keep more visitors with a fast website, but your conversion rates will also directly be affected by your website speed. Conversation rates and website speed very often follow a similar pattern. Fast websites make sales! Can you afford a slow site?
Google also uses website speed as a factor in ranking your website. If your site is slow to load, you will be ranked lower in Google searches. Even if you have an eye-catching website with quality copy and have put tons of work into SEO, a slow site will greatly reduce your chances of being on the first page of a Google search.
How fast should my website be?
Most visitors feel satisfied with a site that loads in three to four seconds or less. One study found that approximately 40% of visitors will leave if a site takes more than 3 seconds to load. Bluehost reports that 90% of visitors will be lost if they have to wait more than ten seconds for a site to load. Other studies show that the optimum speed is between two and four seconds.
Take a look at the following stats from MOZ if you’re interested in knowing how the speed of your site compares to other online businesses:
- 5 second load time: faster than 25% of websites
- 2.9 seconds load time: faster than 50% of websites
- 1.7 seconds load time: faster than 75% of websites
- .08 seconds load time: faster than 94% of websites
Test your speed with these tools
Since having a fast website is so important for the success of your business, we want to share three of our favorite tools that you can use to test the speed of your site.
GT Metrix
In just a few seconds, GT Metrix will give you a grade that takes into account numerous factors of your website’s performance. They’ll also let you know the top issues with your site, tell you how big of a deal those issues really are, and show you how you can improve in each area.
PageSpeed Insights is a web performance testing tool provided by Google. After analyzing your site, it will give you a score from 0-100. If you score between 90-100, you’ll receive a green light that lets you know your site has sufficient speed. You’ll then see data, opportunities for improvement, and diagnostics. This site is a little more basic than GT Metrix, but can be easier to use and give additional insight.
Unlike the first two options, you’ll need to either pay for Pingdom or sign up for the 30-day free trial in order to test your site. Still, many users believe that it is the best tool for website monitoring. Pingdom is a bit more of an advanced program that is best for IT professionals and serious website operators. If you’re looking for a thorough analysis of your site and have some IT knowledge, this may be the best option for you.
Test and test again
If you’re in the process of creating a new website, be sure to test your speed before your site’s launch. Any of these tools will help ensure that new visitors will stay around as long as possible to browse your site. If your website is already up and running, test it’s speed and make changes as soon as possible. It’s a good idea to continue testing your website every so often, especially if you make lots of changes and updates.
Let us help ensure your site’s success
At Lifedge, we pride ourselves in creating quality websites that will help you reach and keep your users. When we create a website, we confirm that it’s quick to load and easy to use for your customers. Website creation and fast speed are just a couple of ways that we help you increase conversion rates and help more customers through digital marketing. Read more about our website development services here, or book a meeting now!
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