Whenever you search online, your experience is likely to involve a bit of waiting. If nothing appears in the first few results or it takes too long for something meaningful to appear, you're inclined—almost unconsciously—to click Back and look at another page
Fact: Slow-loading websites have high bounce rates and drive away potential customers. A Study by Backlinko proves that the lower your site's load time, the better it is for business—and search engines like Google rank performant websites higher in their results.
Users do not like waiting, so if you are able to optimize your page speed, you can also claim cookie points for SEO.
And in today's time due to the increasing popularity of mobile devices among web users, search engines have begun prioritizing mobile-based content over its desktop counterpart. Quoting Google, “Our data shows that while more than half of overall web traffic comes from mobile, mobile conversion rates are lower than desktop. In short, speed equals revenue.”
In this regard, load speed is even more crucial due to limited bandwidth and data rates.
Here are some major reasons why your website's performance must be your top priority.
It has been proven that site speed affects conversion rate (or, the rate at which users complete a desired action). Not only do more users stay on fast-loading sites—in fact, but they also convert at higher rates than slower sites.
Many companies have found that speeding up the time it takes a web page to load by just a few milliseconds can increase the number of customers who buy their products.
Because of how important site speed is for conversion rate optimization, improving page load times should be one of your highest priorities.
According to a study by Portent, Website conversion rates drop by an average of 4.42% with each additional second of load time (between seconds 0-5)
If a user can't access content within 2-3 seconds, they're likely to close the window or click away. Even BBC discovered that they lost 10% of their total users for every additional second it took for their pages to load.
With a high bounce rate, people are leaving your site before they've not even had a chance to see what you have to offer. This can be frustrating for both users and search engines because it makes it seem like your content isn't relevant or valuable.
.png)
Source: Think With Google
Because Google prioritizes getting relevant information to users as quickly as possible, site performance is an important factor in their search engine rankings. Google's benchmarks suggest that a good web page should have an average speed index not exceeding three seconds and an average page weight of no more than 500kb.
Research shows that nearly 70% of consumers say that page speed impacts their willingness to buy, and almost 50% of consumers admit they are willing to give up animation and video for faster load times. Long page load times, and poor response times to user actions, create a bad user experience. Waiting for content to load becomes frustrating for users and may provoke them into leaving the site or application altogether.
In conclusion, page speed is a critical factor in determining the success of a website in today's fast-paced digital landscape. It plays a vital role in enhancing user experience, boosting search engine rankings, and improving conversion rates. As users' expectations for fast and seamless browsing continue to rise, prioritizing page speed becomes increasingly crucial for businesses looking to establish a strong online presence and drive growth.
Optimizing page speed requires a continuous effort, and website owners should regularly test and update their sites to ensure optimal performance. By prioritizing page speed optimization, website owners can provide their users with a seamless online experience and outperform their competition.
If you need any assistance in optimizing your Webflow Website’s performance, write to us at work@tuesday.is.
