How to Improve Page Speed from Start to Finish (Full Guide)

Numerous tools are available to improve page speed, along with a variety of metrics to focus on. However, do you possess an understanding of how these optimizations function or whether they will genuinely enhance the speed of your website?

The subject of page speed is multifaceted. Numerous articles currently available provide a compilation of steps to follow or plugins to incorporate, aiming to assist with various speed-related aspects.

While these resources are valuable, it’s important to recognize that not all websites are identical. Hence, within this article, we aim to how to improve page speed and provide tailored guidance on actions to undertake based on your specific website.

Read more- Audit Your Site’s Technical SEO- Step By Step Guide

What is Page Speed?

Page speed refers to the duration it takes for a web page to fully load following a browser request.

Ascertaining a solitary numerical value for page speed proves challenging due to the existence of diverse metrics that capture distinct facets of the page load process.

These metrics serve varying purposes and function under different testing conditions, contributing to the complexity of the measurement.

Learn more about the page speed in the best SEO training course.

The Significance of Page Speed: Why It Matters

Page speed has once again taken center stage in Google’s priorities, with mobile speed now impacting rankings, the introduction of a Speed Report in Google Search Console, and Chrome’s announcement about potential flags for slow sites. However, were you aware that page speed has been a ranking factor for Google since as far back as 2010?

Here’s why you should pay attention:

1. Enhances User Experience: Ensuring a quick and seamless browsing experience for visitors is crucial. Delays or interruptions in their interactions are easily noticeable and can impact user satisfaction.

2. Influences Analytics: A faster website tends to capture more visitors in analytics data since the tracking tag loads earlier. If a user departs before the tag activates, their visit won’t be registered in the analytics system.

3. SEO Considerations: The Speed Update primarily affects the slowest websites, as stated in the official announcement. While not a universal factor, it’s essential for maintaining a competitive edge.

Numerous studies highlight the positive outcomes of boosting page speed, including heightened organic traffic, improved click-to-visit ratios for ads, increased overall visitor counts, and a range of other advantageous effects. WPO Stats offers a collection of illustrative case studies on the enhancements resulting from page speed improvements.

Nevertheless, we must advise that some of these studies might be slightly misleading. According to Google, unless your page speed was exceptionally sluggish before, enhancing it is not likely to significantly affect your rankings.

So, why might you experience an increase in visitors?

The reason lies in the likelihood that the analytics tag was triggered earlier than previously, capturing more individuals before they exit a page.

Also read- 9 Important Technical Issues that Matters in SEO

What is The Ideal Loading Speed For My Page?

No specific benchmark exists. A frequently cited guideline suggests that your website should load within three seconds. This recommendation likely originates from a Google study indicating that 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes more than three seconds to load.

This advice is probably derived from the Speed Index metric, a topic we will discuss in detail later. However, this assumption is based on the prevalent measurement method during the study period. Notably, Google hasn’t specified a specific metric while providing page speed figures. Generally, Google representatives offer generic recommendations such as “ensure fast user experiences” or “strive for optimal site speed.”

Page Speed Testing And Tools

Lab Data vs. Field Data

1. Lab Data: Noteworthy attributes encompass a controlled setting, a process that can be replicated, and the management of configurations. PageSpeed Insights serves as a prime illustration. The test is conducted within a consistent environment and adheres to identical settings, resulting in consistently similar outcomes during each run.

2. Field Data: Real User Monitoring (RUM) offers insights into the actual user encounter with the page. It factors in various elements such as caching, devices, networks, and more. However, it has limitations concerning metrics and the capability for debugging.

Tools to Measure and Improve Page Speed

Google Tools

1. TestMySite

Features a speed scorecard for comparing your speed with competitors, includes an impact calculator to estimate the effect of speed on your business, and enables you to generate a comprehensive report containing these insights alongside recommendations for areas of focus.

2. Lighthouse (in Chrome Dev Tools)

Enables performance testing of both web pages and applications.

3. PageSpeed Insights 

Executes Lighthouse assessments and furnishes suggestions. The execution of Lighthouse within your browser can be influenced by numerous factors such as your computer’s specifications, network conditions, browser extensions, and more. PageSpeed Insights offers a comparably consistent testing environment that doesn’t rely on your server resources as extensively as a scaled Lighthouse setup would.

4. Chrome Dev Tools 

Numerous valuable functionalities for observing the loading process of a page, including the Network and Performance tabs.

5. Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX)

An accessible collection of actual user experience data obtained from Chrome users who have opted to share, encompassing millions of websites. This Field Data provides insights into real-time page speed experiences.

6. Web.dev

An additional Google testing tool supported by Lighthouse. It also includes a dedicated section for expanding your knowledge about page speed.

Assessing the Consequences of Modifications

The simplest method to gauge the effect is by creating a static replica of a page. Duplicate the code onto your server, assess the page to establish a baseline metric. After introducing alterations to the page, conduct another test to estimate the ensuing impact. This approach offers an approximate understanding of the changes’ impact, aiding you in implementing them on your live site with a rough estimation of the outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Prioritize to improve page speed for optimal user experiences. Select metrics that accurately mirror how users perceive page loading and interactivity, and enhance those aspects.

While there isn’t a definitive threshold for halting page speed enhancements, there might be a point where the benefits don’t justify the investment in time, effort, expenses, or possible compromises (like data loss from a tool). Typically, our aim is to outpace competitors by a small margin.