Website speed issues are usually issues with the website itself, and that means technical fixes. Plenty of small business owners would rather ignore the problem as long as the page eventually loads. Some have even questioned addressing site speed as a valid use of time and money.
But for the digital marketing world, the “debate” about site speed has quieted, largely because there’s not much to debate. Google declared long ago that site speed is a ranking factor. It’s not a big one, but nevertheless, a slow loading time will have a negative impact on your search rankings.
Bounce rate is also a ranking factor. This is the rate of visitors who immediately leave a webpage for any reason, either by closing the window or hitting “back” on their browser. A slow website will have a higher bounce rate, because modern internet users demand faster websites. A high bounce rate will also negatively impact your site’s search rankings. So, slow site speed will actually affect two ranking signals from Google.
Studies show that nearly 50% of web users will abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load. Nearly 90% of users are unlikely to return to a site after one bad experience. Think about that.
There are various tools to show site speed:
The tools listed above will often have recommendations, but they are usually highly technical and somewhat difficult to understand. Your best bet is to contact your webmaster to assist.
Some common fixes to help speed your site up are:
At a certain point, you’ll have to ask yourself: is this site’s code just hopelessly messy? If so, consider building a whole new website — it’s one of the most important investments a business can make, and your customers will take note.
If you’re in the market for a free website, or just need a free evaluation of your current website, give us a call at (877) 865-1267.
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