Is Your Website Fast Enough?

Website speed is critical.

All businesses want their website to deliver a great user experience, as it is more likely to lead to high levels of engagement and repeat visits.

There are a variety of factors which can impact the success of a website, with website speed being one of the most important.

It is the first impression you make

According to Google, the majority of us will wait less than two seconds for a website page to load.

Your visitors will use the load time of your website to make an instant judgement about your business.

A fast website will create an impression of professionalism and reliability, while instilling trust and confidence in the product or service your business provides.

There are no second chances when creating a great user experience, as statistics show that over 80% of visitors will not return.

Visitors are impatient

If you have ever visited a slow website, it is likely that you probably felt frustrated or even angry.

There is also a high chance that you left that website and looked elsewhere.

Other people searching online share the same emotions – they are impatient and want their information immediately.

The longer your website makes them wait, the less interest they have in your business.

When we are on the move and using our mobile devices, we tend to be even less patient, so we expect mobile sites to load as fast or even faster than a standard desktop page.

The impact on SEO

Since 2010 Google have been using site speed as a ranking signal within their algorithm.

This means a website with a fast load time is likely to sit at a higher position in search results.

Google knows that if they direct a user to a website which loads slowly, it is likely to lead to a poor user experience.

Instead, they will send traffic to websites which are able to respond quickly to requests, as this will keep their own users happy.

Slow websites do not convert

If your website speed is slow, it is likely you also have a low conversion rate.

Google reports that around 40% of people will leave your site if the page is not fully loaded after 3 seconds.

These are potential customers who are not willing to wait.

In fact, Amazon, which is an instantly recognisable and trustworthy company, found that slowing load times by just one second would lose the company a staggering $1.6 billion every year.

The long-term impact

Slow loading times can lead to an instant loss of traffic, but there is also a long-term impact.

The slow speed will gradually stunt your natural business growth, as people will stop recommending your site to others due to their poor user experience.

Other businesses will be less likely to link to your website, as they will not want to be associated with a site which lacks credibility.

This poor opinion by others is likely to have a significant impact on your brand over a period of time.

Put simply, speed matters and will impact your business significantly.

If you would like to find out how we can give your site speed a boost, please contact our team today.