If you have a business then most likely you have a website and you need it to rank well in Google. We have discussed several times the three keys to ranking well in Google are: Content, Citations and Reviews. However there is something else that is a very important factor here and that is a websites Page Speed.
What is Page Speed?
Page Speed "page load time" is a combination of tools that identify and measure how fast your website and its content loads and displays on a device (desktop or mobile). Google uses page speed modules to identify a websites assets, such as, StyleSheets, JavaScript, HTML and Images.
Why Does Page Speed Matter?
How important is this? Does it really matter if my website takes 5 or 15 seconds to load? The answer is YES, it does matter. 47% of consumers expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less and 40% will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Having a poor page speed can affect several things:
- User Experience - Living in such a client-experience driven culture, it's very important that your future customers find it easy to do business with you. If your website loads slow and is not user friendly then that client will assume that's a representation of your business and what it will be like to use your services.
- Lead Generation/Conversions - If the client leaves your site before it loads then you've failed to convert.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - If the internet user is not hanging around for your site to load then Google will not continue to display it in the search engine results page.
- Brand Reputation & Credibility - The difference between a 2 and 3 second load time could potentially cost you 40% of your website visitors.
How Can I Test My Chiropractic Website?
Google is on the front line of website performance optimization, they are committed to making the web faster and they've created tools for website owners to use. You can evaluate your websites page speed using Page Speed Insights and you'll be given suggestions on how to improve the page speed as well. Google wants the user to have a good experience so if your page speed is poor and takes to long to load, Google will deem this a poor user experience and this will impact your sites ranking.
