Is Website Page Speed A Google Ranking Factor?
We all make continuous attempts to increase page speed to receive a ranking boost. When it comes to prioritizing search results, Google is believed to be emphasizing speed, giving fast sites an advantage over those that take longer to load.
So, does the time it takes for a page to load affect SEO?
If it can, how powerful is the signal?
As we look at the assertions that page speed is a Google ranking component, we’ll try to answer those questions.
According to Common Claims Page Speed Is A Ranking Factor
Pages that reach a specific speed threshold in Google’s search results are reported to benefit from a ranking boost. The time it takes for a website to load after a user clicks on a link on a search engine results page (SERP) is a good indicator of speed, especially now that Core Web Vitals is analyzing loading, interaction, and visual stability.
PageSpeed Insights, a tool offered by Google for monitoring loading time, adds to the claims that speed is a ranking factor. These claims are also based on the fact that Google strives to provide sites that give the best possible user experience. As a result, it’s simple to imagine that faster sites get a search advantage. The idea behind AMP is that it’s more satisfying to have a website load immediately after clicking on it.
While a SERP consisting of lightning-fast pages may appear to be a gratifying solution, it risks excluding more relevant pages that take longer to load. The idea that page speed is a ranking factor begins to weaken at this point.
The number one ranking factor, according to Google, is relevancy. Fast pages may be delivered ahead of content that gives a better answer to the user’s query if they were automatically enhanced. This would be a disservice to searchers since it would compromise quality for speed.
In summary, there are arguments for and against the use of page speed as a ranking component. Within the SEO business, the significance of this ostensibly signal is widely contested. In the following section, we’ll look at the facts and clear up certain misunderstandings.
Page Speed As A Ranking Factor: The Evidence
From as early as 2010, Google has used speed as a ranking criterion.
Google’s search algorithm will begin considering speed into account when ranking search results, according to an April 2010 release. This upgrade only affected desktop search results, so what seems to be quick on a desktop may appear to be slow on a mobile device. To be sure, even until nearly a decade later, mobile searchers are continued to be served annoyingly delayed sites.
Google implemented page speed as a ranking factor for mobile search results in July 2018. Google continues to consider page speed when presenting search results, however, the original signal has been superseded with the page experience signal, according to Google.
Our Opinion On Page Speed As A Ranking Factor
Google’s search results have revealed that page speed is a ranking factor. The pace at which this ranking signal must be satisfied changes on a regular basis. At the moment, it can be achieved by meeting Google’s Core Web Vital’s minimal levels. It’s worth stressing that page relevancy is more important than page speed. So keep that in mind when you decide where to focus your SEO efforts.