What Is Page Speed?
Definition
The time it takes for a web page to fully load and become usable in a browser — a confirmed Google ranking factor and key driver of user experience.
Why It Matters
Page speed directly affects both search rankings and revenue. A one-second delay in mobile load time can reduce conversions by up to 20%. Google uses real-world speed data from Chrome users as a ranking signal — meaning slow pages rank lower regardless of how well-optimised their content is.
How It Works
Page speed is measured by tools including Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and WebPageTest. Key metrics include Time to First Byte (TTFB), First Contentful Paint (FCP), and Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). Improvements come from image compression and format optimisation (WebP), enabling browser caching, minifying CSS/JS, using a CDN, and reducing server response time.
An e-commerce site averages 6.8-second mobile load times. After compressing images to WebP, implementing lazy loading, and adding a CDN, load time drops to 2.1 seconds. Mobile conversion rate improves from 1.1% to 2.6% within 30 days.
Quick Facts
- 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load
- Amazon calculated that a 100ms slowdown cost them 1% in revenue — roughly $1.6 billion annually
- Google recommends LCP under 2.5 seconds for a "Good" page experience rating
- Images typically account for 50–80% of a page's total download size — the biggest optimisation opportunity
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