Here’s the unfortunate reality about running a website:
Slow websites don’t make money.
At least, not easily. And it makes it exceptionally difficult to keep visitors on your website.
You’ve probably heard this all before but there are some misconceptions that we need to address. And the all-important solution to slow-loading websites.
Why page speed matters
Let’s look at some data first. For this, I’ve pulled some research-backed data from our post on page load time statistics. It’s worth a read if you haven’t seen it yet.
Here’s some data that illustrates the possible effect of faster load times on conversion rates for ecommerce stores:
This data is still relevant even if you don’t run an ecommerce store.
Ecommerce sites are resource-heavy and consumers have come to expect that they load fast. The same can be said for every other website.
According to one study by Unbounce, 82% of consumers say slow page speeds impact their purchasing decisions.
So, if your site loads slowly, that will be an issue.
It all boils down to conversions. Exactly what those conversions are doesn’t matter. It could be ebook sales, course sales, email signups, or something else. You’ll get more of them with a faster website.
Putting this data into context
Let’s be real. Your site might not actually have a problem with page load times.
For example, if you’re checking PageSpeed Insights and getting mobile scores in the high 90s, you probably shouldn’t worry too much.
Faster is better, but marginal improvements will only result in marginal gains.
So, it’s important to consider where your site is at now compared to where it could be in terms of page load times. And the effort/budget/time required to improve those load times.
How does page speed affect SEO?
Thanks to that Core Web Vitals thing, search engine rankings usually get dragged into the discussion of page load times. And rightfully so.
The only problem is that page load times are usually framed as some type of magic button to catapult your site to the top of search rankings.
That's not true.
As it turns out, Core Web Vitals aren’t weighted as high in Google’s algorithm as most people were expecting. And they don’t impact rankings in the way most people expected.
I’m not saying page speed doesn’t matter for SEO. You’ll want to get it right but it’s a small part of a large algorithm with plenty of other factors being weighted much higher.
And it doesn’t quite work the way most people were expecting.
Here’s the best way to look at it:
If your page load times are in the toilet, Google won’t want to rank your site very high because visitors will just pogo-stick back to SERPs. That’ll result in poor UX.
Their job is to deliver answers to searchers. And they can't do that if your site takes too long to load.
But if your site is already loading pretty fast, that’ll usually be enough. An extra 100ms won’t matter that much.
A quick and easy way to speed up your WordPress website
There was once a time when it was insanely difficult to get good page speeds.
All hosting providers were slow. Managed WordPress hosting wasn’t a thing. And you’d need expensive dedicated servers to handle any decent amount of traffic.
Performance plugins were far too complicated for anyone to use without becoming a developer. Some still are - I’m looking at you, W3TC!
Time for some good news.
While quick fixes for improving your rankings in Google don’t exist, quick fixes for slow-loading websites do exist.
Sure, they’re not a cure for terrible hosting but they can move the needle significantly without any technical expertise.
For example, our friends at WP Rocket created one of the best solutions for fixing slow websites.
Their plugin implements 80% of optimizations automatically. And if you’re technically inclined, you can squeeze more speed improvements out of it. Either way, their support is there to help you make the most of WP Rocket.
You can see some benchmark test data in our WP Rocket review, which shows what speed improvements you can get out of the plugin on a basic level.
While there are a bunch of great performance solutions on the market, I’m quite fond of WP Rocket because the cost-to-performance ratio is so good. It’s also incredibly easy to use, which is a big deal.
Final thoughts
Don’t speed up your site for Google. Do it for your website’s visitors - your fans and followers.
Do it to give them the best experience possible.
When you focus on giving your audience a better experience, your site will grow faster.
Visitors will stick around for longer, consume your content, share it around, and all that good stuff.
And in terms of page speed alone, all your conversion rates will improve across the board.
You’ll get more email signups, more leads, and more sales for whatever you are selling.
Just don't lose any sleep over trying to squeeze an extra 100ms or so of speed out of your site when your site is already pretty fast. 🚀
Talk soon,
Adam Connell
Founder of Blogging Wizard
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