Is Page Speed a Ranking Factor?

Photo by Roberto Hund [Pexels]

Is Page Speed a Ranking Factor?

Yes, page speed is a ranking factor. In fact, it is one of the very important Technical SEO factors that does matter for SEO for a better website ranking. It is frequently used in reference to site speed too.

“Google prefers pages that prioritize user experience. So you should consider both on-page SEO factors (like SEO-friendly content) and technical SEO factors (like page speed)” – Semrush

Page Speed Ranking Factor:

Announced by Google in 2018. Content that loads faster for mobile users would do better in mobile search results and is part of a page experience system.

First, a fast-loading website will result in a better user experience.

“We encourage you to start looking at your site's speed — not only to improve your ranking in search engines, but also to improve everyone's experience on the Internet” - Google Search Central

Second, Google considers page loading time as a ranking factor and ranks faster websites higher than others.

Image Source - Twitter Thread

Third, visitors tend to leave a website if it takes too long to load, which results in a higher bounce rate.

“A good page experience doesn't override having great, relevant content. However, in cases where there are multiple pages that have similar content, page experience becomes much more important for visibility in Search” - Google Search Central

Image Source - Google Search Central

Please note that the FID will be replaced by Interaction to Next Paint [INP] in March 2024.

If you are interested, you may check your website's page speed and learn insights for making it better! Also know, is page speed insights reliable?

Additionally, here is an alternative tool, namely EXPERTE that serves the purpose with more interesting insights. The data yielded is almost identical to the data from Google PageSpeed Insights.

Overall, it is essential to maintain page speed (or an efficient website) by implementing the best practices of site speed optimization to rank higher in the search results and keep your visitors engaged.

By the way, do you have broken links on your website or blog? - Here is what you should be seriously aware of!

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