Have you ever visited a website that shows a blank white screen before pieces of content begin to appear? What you are experiencing is what SEO experts refer to as “slow page speed.”
What is page speed?
Page speed (also called “load speed”) measures how fast the content of a website page loads. This metric is comprised of many factors—it is not a singular metric.
Website content loads in various stages, which is why page speed encompasses multiple methods to assess how quickly content is displayed on a page. Factors figured into “page speed” include:
- Time to First Byte (TTFB): The time it takes for a page to begin loading. This factor is influenced by your network quality. Essentially, this metric indicates the time it takes from when a website sends a request to the server for a specific file until the first byte of that specified file is received.
- First Contentful Paint (FCP): Let’s think of this as the metric of perception. How long does a USER perceive it took for your website to load? This data can vary from speed tests run by tools. Google wants to see this metric at 1.8 seconds or less.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): This metric replaced First Input Delay (FID) in March of 2024. It measures delays or “freezes” when an user interacts with a website page. We have all added an item to an online cart and seen a “pause,” this is a classic example of what INP is striving to measure.
- Onload Time: This is as simple as it sounds, the total time it took for your website page to load fully.
Why does page speed impact SEO?
Google cares about the user’s experience as they interact with your website. They want to send users to websites with the answers to their search inquiries that won’t frustrate them and cause them to leave and start over. If your page takes more than 2 seconds to load, users are three times more likely to bounce.
How can I measure my website’s page speed?
There are a number of free SEO tools that can be leveraged to check this metric. Our Troupe is a fan of SEMRush’s site audit tool you can find here.
What should I do next?
Next, check the video above for likely culprits contributing to page speed issues. If you need an expert eye on the situation, reach out to our Troupe at Troupe@aJuxt.com. One of our SEO experts would be happy to assist you.