Recently, we were told that Google renamed AdWords and launched new campaign types . But, it is not what is currently the case with search law right now. Recently, Google announced that their so-called “Speed Update” now applies to all sites indexed by Google. But what does it really mean?
Page load time from Google’s perspective
If you have read our previous articles on search engine optimization (SEO) , you are probably aware that we talked a lot about the importance of a quick website . Something that I also believe will be more and more crucial in order to be well placed in search engines in the future. Let me explain why!
As early as January 2018, Google published a blog post announcing its Speed Update. An update that means that you have now started using page load time as a ranking factor when searching on mobile devices.
The use of page load speed as a ranking signal is not a novelty when using this since 2010 , but only on searches made by desktop. In January, it was decided that the same would apply to searches on mobile devices. But it was also important to point out that this would only happen on a small scale .
However, yesterday there were many in the industry who noted that Google had silently updated Google’s announcement from January and now wrote that, from now on, Speed Update applies to all sites indexed:
A common issue that usually arises when talking about page load speed is “How do you know if Google thinks my site is fast?”. They do not want to give a direct response to this, but you can benefit from Chrome User Experience report , Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights that all belong to the search giant.
Page load time from a user perspective
However, Google is not alone in finding page load time important, but it is also something that is becoming increasingly important and important to users. According to FortuneLords , 40% of Internet users leave a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load, while 83% of users expect a site to take no more than 3 seconds to load.
Even Google has conducted surveys that show how a slow page load time can adversely affect your bounce rate (visitors who leave your site). Below you can see the results of this:
In summary
As you notice, page load time becomes more important for search engines like Google, but also for its users. Therefore, if you want to get good placements in the future, you should add some extra time and love to speed up your website. If you are unsure how to do this, you can readily read our previous article 5 ways to improve your site’s page load time !
