Need a Website Speed Test? Start Here

Did you Google website speed test?

It’s totally understandable. Your website loading speed is the first interaction visitors will have with your site. When you’ve done things right, people won’t even be aware of it. It’s when people start to take note of sluggish response times that you’ve got a problem. With lightning-fast internet availability at an all-time high, people have come to expect unhindered fluidity in their browsing. Any speedbump on their adventures in cyberspace and your potential customers may just decide to take their explorations elsewhere. 

Ahead, you’ll learn why website speed is so important, and what you can do about it.

5 reasons to check website speed

1. SEO. There was a time when slow website speed was merely seen as an inconvenience. In these modern times, however, having a slow website can actually hinder your ability to climb the Google charts. The web search giant now uses loading speed as one of its criteria when ranking sites. 
2. Conversion. Online shoppers have become accustomed to effortless browsing. If your website is taking longer than 3 seconds to load, you could be losing as much as 40% of your potential conversions. 
3. Traffic. Lower speeds mean lower search rank. And in the world of SEO, being lower down on the results list often means a drastic reduction in organic traffic.
4. Bounce rate. In SEO terms, a “bounce” is when someone visits a website and then leaves without having done anything. A slow website can drive up your bounce rate, as many visitors will leave as soon as they are forced to wait for a page to load.
5. Competition. One of the biggest reasons to ensure your website is running optimally is because, in all likelihood, your competitors are. Today’s modern web landscape is more aggressive than ever before, and every advantage counts. You can bet that your competitors aren’t sleeping on something as important as page speed. 

 

Why page speed matters.

The list above highlights the various factors that make page speed so important, but equally important is to see this topic holistically. It’s not just one of these things that will make the difference for your website, it’s all of them, contributing in their own way. Focusing on your site’s speed is a great investment because it ripples out to create so many distinct advantages. It’s one area in your business that where even a small improvement can create noticeable change.

Another important advantage provided by site speed is perceived credibility. While it is somewhat difficult to define or quantify, quick loading speeds are a signal to visitors that your business is legitimate and on the up and up. A slow website may lead potential customers to believe that your company has fallen behind the times, or that it does not place any importance on maintaining an online presence. In today’s increasingly connected and social world, it’s important to project credibility and competence from every angle.

Learn how to increase website speed 

If you’d like to learn more about how to improve your website speed, check out Northwest Media Collective’s free guide, covering the 5 best ways to improve your loading speed right now. Not only will this guide give you a better understanding of the causes and symptoms of poor website optimization, but it will also provide you with the knowledge you need to take action today.

If you’d like to check your website speed, check out this resource from Google.