People today are used to getting instant access to almost everything. As a result, people easily get irritated if a process takes too long to complete. When browsing the web, most people abandon a website if it takes too long to load. According to a Pingdom report, 38% of website users will abandon a website if it takes more than 5 seconds to load.
In today’s standards, where people want instant services, Google recommends that the maximum loading time for a website load should be less than 5 seconds, especially when using 3G mobile networks. However, most websites are still far from Google’s benchmark, with 46% of websites having loading speeds ranging from 6 to 10 seconds. Furthermore, an Unbounce survey reveals that only 15% of websites have less than 5 seconds loading speeds.
How to Improve Your Google PageSpeed Insights Score
Page speed is important if you want more visitors to stay on your site. One way to assess the performance of your website is by using Google PageSpeed Insights, a tool that scores your site based on acceptable standards. For example, a score of 90 plus on Google PageSpeed Insight is considered acceptable and within standards. However, if your website score is below 90, here are some best practices that you can implement to improve your score.
- Optimize Your Images. A visually appealing website will do wonders in making visitors stay longer. However, embedding high-resolution images in your website may slow down its page loading speed. Fortunately, there are several tools that you can use to compress image sizes by up to 50 percent without sacrificing their quality.
- Reduce, if Not Eliminate, URL Redirects. URL redirects occur when users click on a website link but are redirected to another website. This redirect will add to a website’s loading speed. The more redirects a website has, the longer its loading speed will be. It is therefore important to eliminate unnecessary redirects by creating a website with a responsive design. A responsive website design will allow your page to load seamlessly regardless of what device people use to access it.
- Focus on Perceived Performance. Perceived performance is the perception that users have on how fast your website loads. You can improve perceived performance by ensuring that your website’s important content will load first before the aesthetic elements. When your contents load first, the users will gain a perception that your website loads fast.
- Use Accelerated Mobile Pages. Nowadays, more people are using their mobile phones to browse the internet. Therefore, it is important to deliver smooth navigation for mobile users by using Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP. AMP removes the clunky elements of a website, making it load faster when accessed through mobile devices.
Do not let a slow loading page ruin your marketing efforts. On the contrary, slow website pages will lead to higher bounce rates which means that you have more missed opportunities of converting your visitors. The above tips are the best practices to implement to increase your Google PageSpeed Insights Score.
