What is Page Speed?
Page speed measures how quickly a webpage's content loads and becomes interactive, directly impacting user experience, conversion rates, and search engine rankings.
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Introduction
Page speed has evolved from a nice-to-have to a critical ranking factor. Google officially uses page speed as a ranking signal, and the correlation between fast loading times and user engagement is well-documented. Studies show that a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7% and page views by 11%.
Speed Metrics
Key page speed metrics include: Time to First Byte (TTFB) - server response time, First Contentful Paint (FCP) - first content visible, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) - main content loaded, Time to Interactive (TTI) - page fully interactive, Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) - visual stability, and Total Blocking Time (TBT) - input responsiveness.
Factors Affecting Speed
Speed is impacted by: Server response time and hosting quality, Unoptimized images (format, size, compression), Render-blocking JavaScript and CSS, Excessive HTTP requests, Lack of browser caching, No content delivery network (CDN), and Third-party scripts (ads, trackers, widgets).
Optimization Techniques
Improve page speed through: Compressing and resizing images, Enabling GZIP compression, Minifying CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, Implementing lazy loading, Using browser caching headers, Deploying a CDN, Deferring non-critical JavaScript, and Preloading critical resources.
Speed Testing Tools
Measure performance with: Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, WebPageTest, Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools), Pingdom Website Speed Test, and Google Search Console Core Web Vitals report. Test regularly and from multiple locations.
Bounce Rate by Load Time
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