Why Speed Matters
Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. A site that loads in 1-2 seconds converts 2x better than one that takes 5+ seconds. Slow sites lose visitors and rankings.
Free Speed Testing Tools
- PageSpeed Insights — Google's official tool with Core Web Vitals scores
- GTmetrix — Detailed waterfall analysis
- WebPageTest — Advanced testing with multiple locations
Key Metrics
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — Should be under 2.5 seconds
- FID (First Input Delay) — Should be under 100ms
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) — Should be under 0.1
Quick Wins
- Compress images (use WebP format)
- Enable browser caching
- Minimize CSS and JavaScript
- Use a CDN (Cloudflare is free)
- Reduce third-party scripts
- Lazy-load images below the fold
Related Resources
Improve your website further:
- How to Set Up an SSL Certificate
- How to Create and Submit a Sitemap
- How to Add Schema Markup to Your Website
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