Website Speed Optimization: Key to Higher SEO Rankings & More Conversions

Nobody wants to wait for your slow-loading website on their high-speed internet. While the internet speed is taking massive strides with 5G and 6G technology, your website’s loading speed might be crawling. Website speed optimization is not only a key to good user experience but better conversions. Your site speed and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are directly linked, with the former helping the latter. 

To help you understand the importance of website speed optimization, let’s see some quick facts:

• Around 21% of the desktop users would drop off the website if the loading time is more than 3 seconds.

• Over 50% of mobile users would abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

• Websites that have a loading time of under 1 second can achieve a conversion rate of over 30 per 1,000 visitors.

• Websites that have a loading time under 5 seconds can witness a conversion rate of over 10 per 1,000 visitors.  

It’s pretty much evident that website speed optimization is the key to your SEO success and eventually boosts conversions. 

Now, the question comes: how can you achieve website speed optimization? That is something which we would be discussing here with all the tips and techniques.

Site Speed and SEO 

Understanding how your site speed and SEO can help make clear the steps that are required for website speed optimization. Back in 2010, Google announced that its algorithm would use website speed for rankings. Which meant that faster-loading websites would be ranked higher on the search engine rankings.

Google’s announcement saw a good response globally as businesses worked towards bettering their website speed optimization. The results are substantiated by the fact that the average loading time for an ecommerce website is somewhere around 7 seconds. A fast-loading website gives a good user experience, and a good user experience is a key factor in Google’s algorithm. 

If you think of an example of a website that has performed well on all SEO parameters, such as keyword research, on-page and off-page SEO, secure connections, etc., but is taking longer than usual to load, then all that SEO effort could go to waste. Users would abandon the website, and Google would rank it poorly. 

Website Speed Optimization and Conversion 

Amazon has highlighted the fact that they could face losses to the tune of $ 1.6 billion if their website slows down by a second. In e-commerce, the margin between a good and below-par conversion rate can be just a few seconds. 

At a time when attention spans and the patience level of users are going down, you can’t make them wait for your website. A good work on the website speed optimization front can help with:

• Low bounce rate, with users spending more time on the website

• Effective crawling and indexing of web pages by Google 

• Better user engagement

• Higher chances of the user taking desired actions (Call to Action)

• Lower cart abandonment rate for e-commerce websites

• Increasing customer retention rate

• Building brand reputation and credibility 

Page speed optimization is a simple and effective strategy to improve conversions. Not only big brands like Amazon or Alibaba, but also various small and medium businesses are opting for website speed optimization. If you get the website speed optimization done right, then there is more than a 50% chance of boosting your conversions. 

Website Speed Optimization: How to achieve it?

Having understood the importance of website speed optimization, it’s time we take a look at how to achieve it. 

• Compression and Optimization: Images and graphics make a website more engaging and attractive. However, they can also increase the loading time of the website. Thus, editing and compressing the images and graphics can help find a middle path to page speed optimization. 

• Fewer HTTP Requests: When a user tries to visit your website, it tries to establish a connection with the server. For loading the elements of the website, like images, content, videos, etc, HTTP requests are generated. A longer queue of HTTP requests can slow down the website’s speed. Removing plugins on websites from third parties and removing unwanted content can help here. You can also try CSS and HTML scripts on webpages as they load faster.

• Use CDN: CDN or Content Delivery Network is a group of servers distributed across different geographical locations. When your website’s content is stored in a CDN, it uses the nearest server to the user to load the website. This makes the page speed faster and lowers the website loading time.

• Reliable hosting services provider: Hosting services providers play a key role in website loading speed. Using a reliable hosting service provider like AWS, Hostinger, or HostGator, etc can help with website speed optimization. Opting for big and reliable names is a wise move, as you can expect consistency in service delivery. Since hosting plays a major part in getting your website a solid online presence, it’s better to go for reliability. A cheaper hosting plan can save some amount now, but would create big business losses later. 

• Database cleanup: One good practice for website speed optimization is cleaning up the database regularly. With time, the database keeps on expanding, causing a bloating of the website. Excessive bloating can decrease the speed of the page. Regular cleaning of the database can prevent that and enhance the security and efficiency of the website. 

• Minimize use of videos: Minimizing the use of videos on web pages and not avoiding dynamic website design can help in optimizing speed. Though using videos and dynamic website design can help in creating an attraction, it won’t serve the user. Because the excessive load time that it would create would make the user abandon the website.

Conclusion

Website speed optimization is a must-do if you’re aiming to rank high on SEO and boost conversions. At Provis Technologies, we’ve discussed various tips and techniques for optimizing website speed—and putting them into practice can drive measurable results. The idea is simple: the faster your website loads, the better placed you are in search engine rankings and the higher your chances of conversion.