Google Search Ranking and Website Search Speed

Google Search Ranking and Website Search Speed

Ah! Slowly more news is finally coming out about website load speed from Google.

Again, Google emphasizes that they are trying to provide the best possible search experience for their users. Thus, faster sites create happy users.

Through their internal studies they learned that visitors tend to spend less time on sites that respond slowly. In my opinion, that just common sense. If you can't get into a site after trying to load it twice, what do you do? You click away.

However, they are quick to reassure all, that site speed is just one of over 200 signals that will determine search ranking. And since this "signal" is a new metric, it will not carry as much relevance of a page.

In general, your website will have to be particularly slow for its ranking to be affected. What components contribute to page speed-images, rich media, Javascript, and HTML/CSS code.

They too are building adsense ads so that they can load more quickly.

Improving your Search Speed

Google offer the following helpful suggestions to improving your website search speed:

1. Enabling caching of images, JavaScript and CSS
2. minimize size of JavaScript with CLosure Tools


Learn More about Speeding Up Your Website

To learn more about speeding up your website, or evaluate your site's speed you can try developer tools such as:

1. Page Speed
2. YSlow
3. WebPage Test.org

How do you determine is your website has been affected by this new metric: Just by your own observation. If you see any recent changes in your search ranking- it's been affected.