Why does your website need to be fast?
There are several reasons why your website needs to be fast. As SEO specialists, we naturally factor SEO into most things. And the most important thing is actually that your website's speed affects your Google rankings.
And let's be honest: most people know that the top of Google is where you want to be.
In concrete terms, a fast website gives you these benefits:
Better usability
Search engine optimisation and usability are inextricably linked. A slow website is simply not user-friendly. Today, your website's speed is one of Google's ranking factors. A fast website makes it more user-friendly, and Google rewards that with higher rankings.
More conversions
A user-friendly site also gives you more conversions. Visitors who are ready to buy have neither the desire nor the patience to wait for your site to finish loading. Instead, they go to your competitor.
Lower bounce rate
If your website is slow, we can already tell you that you probably have a relatively high bounce rate. A high bounce rate shows that you're not managing to hold on to your visitors. One reason may be that they don't even get round to reading your content. They get too impatient.
Why is your website slow, and what can you do about it?
Your website can be slow for several reasons, and it's often a combination of them. Here are the 5 factors we come across most often when we look at a website's speed.
- Image files that are too large
Images are hugely important on a website. They hold the user's attention and visually reinforce your points and messages. It's at least as important that they don't take up too much space if you want a fast website. The rule of thumb is that an image should ideally be no larger than 100 kb. If you're not handy with Photoshop, several “drag’n’drop” programs can do the work for you, e.g. Short pixel and Image Compressor. - All files load at the same time
If a page has a lot of files to load, it affects how quickly it loads. The solution is Lazy Loading. In short, your files load as the visitor scrolls down the page. If an image sits at the bottom of a page, it only loads when the visitor gets down there. So your content doesn't load all at once, which increases speed and gives a better user experience. - Caching
Caching is the third factor that affects your site's speed. Once a user has loaded your site, caching stores all the CSS, all the image files and all the Javascript. The next time the user visits the site, it doesn't have to load again. If you have a WordPress website, you can enable caching with one of several plugins, e.g. WP Rocket. - Code takes up too much space
If your code takes up more space than necessary, it drags the speed down. So get your CSS and Javascript minified, without compromising functionality. - Your server isn't fast enough
Your web host makes a big difference to how quickly your website loads. If you have the wrong web host or a slow one, switch to a faster hosting solution. Ultimately, the server decides whether the other factors actually make your website faster.
How to check your website's speed
Several tools can measure how fast your website is. If you suspect your website is slow, they're worth using. Below you'll find 2 tools you can use for free. They show whether your website has speed shortcomings that are keeping you away from the top of Google.
- Google Pagespeed Insight
Pagespeed insight is Google's own tool. If you want a quick insight into how your website performs, this tool is perfect. - Pingdom
If you want a slightly more “nerdy” and in-depth analysis, Pingdom is an excellent tool you can use for free.
Both tools explain the various terms and the solutions you can choose to implement or change on your site.
Want help making your website faster?
We hope it now makes sense why a fast website matters. If you'd like help taking a look at your website, you're welcome to contact Amplify today. At Amplify, our SEO specialists and web designers are ready to give your website a speed check. If it can't keep up with the competition, they'll also give it a speed optimisation.
Get help with your SEO strategy
Well begun is half done. Badly begun is, well, far from good. If you lack the resources to put together a well-thought-out SEO strategy, you're always welcome to write to us at seo@amplify.dk or catch one of our colleagues at info@amplify.dk.