What is Page Speed?
TL;DR
Page speed refers to how quickly a web page loads and becomes interactive for users.
Definition
Page speed refers to how quickly a web page loads and becomes interactive for users. It encompasses metrics like First Contentful Paint, Largest Contentful Paint, and Time to Interactive.
Why It Matters
Page speed is a confirmed ranking factor and a critical user experience metric. Slow pages have higher bounce rates, lower conversions, and may be penalized in search rankings. AI crawlers also prioritize fast-loading content for retrieval.
Examples
- A service page that loads in under 2 seconds vs one that takes 6 seconds - the faster page ranks higher and converts better
Frequently Asked Questions
What is page speed in SEO?
Page speed refers to how quickly a web page loads and becomes interactive. It's a confirmed Google ranking factor and a critical user experience metric. Slow pages have higher bounce rates and lower conversions.
How fast should my website load?
Aim for under 2 seconds for page load time. Google's Core Web Vitals targets: LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200ms, and CLS under 0.1. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check your speed and identify improvements.
How do I improve page speed?
Compress images, minify CSS and JavaScript, use a content delivery network (CDN), enable browser caching, reduce redirects, and upgrade your hosting. Prioritize above-the-fold content loading. Every second of improvement increases conversions and rankings.
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