When companies create websites for various reasons, the speed of websites plays an essential role in online success for businesses. When we speak of web speed, we’re referring to the speed of download for your page, which is the amount of time it takes your website to be loaded for users when they click on the link to your website from websites or other social media. A speedy website is a must on the list of things to consider when delivering the best experience on your website to your customers. Let’s look at how download speed affects your website’s performance and overall goals for your business.
Slow Website Speed Kills
Suppose you’re one of 47 % of people expecting that a website will be online–in the best possible way–in 2 seconds or less. In reality, the quicker we’ve been to connect to websites, the more impatient we’ve become. Businesses should be aware that failing to meet this speedy demand could have worrying consequences.
If the speed at which visitors download your site is more than three seconds, users begin to bounce at a frightening rate. Your customers expect your site to speed up their loading, and if they don’t get what they want, then there’s no incentive to stay on your site. In the case of online competition, each fraction of a second counts, which is why it’s crucial to know how important page speed is to a great extent and the significance in which Web design and development services play.
Google Feels the Need for Website Speed
In the spring of this time last year Google earlier this year, Google announced the Speed Update that officially established page speed as a ranking factor for mobile search. Although the search engine has admitted that page speed was one of its ranking factors for some time, its use was mainly restricted to indexing desktop sites before this summer’s introduction for mobile devices, which has significantly impacted visitors to many websites.
Due to the increasing popularity of mobile searches vs. desktop-based queries, Google has been working towards the eventual rollout of mobile-first indexing. It’s not surprising that mobile-friendly page speed is now a top priority. The ideal number Google is focusing on is 2 seconds. If your site’s server can’t keep up, you should expect fewer crawlers directing traffic to your site.
They also say the Speed Update will affect only the most slow-performing pages, which means it won’t impact all websites. However, who’s willing to risk it? We’re not.
The speed of a website on both mobile and desktop sites is crucial. It influences search rankings, which directly impacts the amount of traffic, leads generated, and conversions. This affects the outcomes businesses want from their sites regardless of the website’s primary purpose.
First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions
If a user visits an area of your website, instantly form an impression of your brand. First impressions can be lasting impressions on websites. After visitors have created their first impression, it is usually for them. That means that the experience they have the first time they visit your website determines their experience with your brand.
A certain level of psychological impact is associated with the speed of your pages load. In addition, users expect to see results quickly and are disappointed if they do not, but the speed of your pages directly affects their perception of your business.
Suppose your website loads slowly and hinders the pathway that connects your customers to your site. This is evident when most websites are sluggish in the 2-second or less timeframe–which will give potential clients an unpleasant first impression. A slow-loading page–much like a poorly designed logo–sends signals that something isn’t working and can make people doubt your credibility and professionalism. This isn’t an excellent method to begin a relationship.
However, when pages load fast, visitors may not even be aware that they’re loading, which is positive. Nothing can hinder their ability to know more about your company, explore your site, and make their initial impression based on anything aside from the fact that they were quickly irritated by a slow-loading page.
Website User Experience Principles
Returning to Google, its search engine is focused on features that offer users the best UX (UX). UX is an expression used to describe a user’s whole experience. It’s not just what is apparent; web design elements that improve accessibility and satisfy users when they visit the website are significant indicators of UX.
Due to the need to speed up page loading and the ease it o, offers the user, page loading speed is essential to provide the best UX, and consequently, it is a good point in SEO.
Indeed, Google does not want to provide the person making the search query with any results. Google had achieved market dominance in search (remember when AOL and Yahoo had relevance?) by tweaking its algorithms to provide the most effective results. It’s not only about delivering results that satisfy the query or fulfill a requirement to be answered but also results that give an excellent experience for users.
The signs that are typical of slow-loading pages, for example, the higher than the average rate of bounces, indicate that you’ve not invested in UX website development which reduces sources of frustration for your customers. Suppose your search engine continues giving you traffic. In that case, it will eventually show an unflattering reflection of its results in search, and you can be sure that they’re not experiencing any part of it.