Smart Traffic SEO Tip #41 – Page Speed – Now a factor for Google
Google recently announced that page speed is now 1 among of many signals they’re using in ranking sites. Although they have admitted that it does not play a massive role it is still important to look at how your fast your site loads. A faster site adds to the user experience and that is what Google are trying to improve. Content, Relevancy and of course Links are still Google’s primary factors for ranking pages but making your site load faster is also a great help.
Why does Google include speed in ranking sites? Google provides search results that really meet what the searcher is looking for. Because of this, Google gives higher rankings to sites that are user-friendly and would really satisfy the searchers. A faster load/page speed will add to that experience.
Page speed not only satisfies user-satisfaction, it also increases conversions. We like visiting fast-loading websites. So as a site owner it is important to start working on your page speed. Based on a study by Akamai for ecommerce sites, aim for 2 seconds in loading your site. For Google, they aim for 0.5 seconds. So aim for these loading times to make your page acceptable both for Google and users.
We will be posting some tips and tricks to help your site load faster over the next few posts so stay tuned!
