Google Page Speed
It is no secret that website speed is one of the most important features. The faster a page loads, the greater the chance that the user will stay on it longer. Speeding up the page means reducing the number of users who leave it almost immediately, waiting for its materials to download. Particular importance is attached to website performance by the fact that Google Page Speed indicators are now used as one of the factors in ranking websites in search results. As a result, more and more companies today pay special attention to the speed of their websites.
An effective tool
Google Page Speed is primarily a tool that measures the loading time of websites. It works with any URL — simply paste the page address into the appropriate field. The result is provided for both the mobile and desktop versions.
The latest version of Google Page Speed includes real user data from "Chrome User Experience". This data is collected from users who use the Google Chrome browser and share it voluntarily. It is supplemented by the "Lighthouse" performance tool, which simulates access to the relevant website and collects the data necessary to obtain reliable results.
Here is how individual results from Google Page Speed are interpreted:
- Values from 0 to 59 — interpreted as poor,
- Values from 60 to 79 — interpreted as average but acceptable,
- Values above 80 — considered very good
Why is page loading speed so important?
Here is what Google says about it: "Faster sites not only improve user experience" — the latest data shows that increasing site speed also leads to lower operating costs. "We greatly value speed. The same can be said of our users. That is why we decided to take site speed into account when calculating search ranking indicators."
It is hard to disagree with that. The modern user is not patient and will not wait for a page to load given the enormous competition in the market.