No one can deny that he/she prefers a fast-loading website opposed to a slow one. The two primary reasons why people are starting blogs or making websites are to build or expand a business and to connect and share their passion with the world. Either way, you need your website to be responsive. And, the most important factor that makes a website responsive is “website loading speed.”
But, when hearing “website speed” and “SEO,” they seem to come from two different domains. That is why most people don’t understand …
How Does Website Speed Affect SEO?
It is actually hard to grow your website’s audience without Google search traffic. And, if you want that free traffic from Google, make sure your site runs fast.
Why? A study by MachMetrics showed that in 2018 most websites’ loading time was between 8 to 11 seconds.
The problem?
About 53% of your visitors will leave your website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load, according to research by Google.
Google released a new ranking algorithm called RankBrain years back and it’s impacted many webmasters. Many website owners have experienced a decrease in traffic. Now, let’s explain clearly …
What is Google RankBrain?
RankBrain is Google’s first machine-learning algorithm. Its role is to understand what should go on the search engine results first page. It studies how users interact with websites.
How Does RankBrain Work?
Google RankBrain considers two factors when measuring websites’ ranking:
- CTR (Click-through rate)
- Dwell time
Only the second factor (dwell time) has to do with website speed. Therefore, we’ll focus on that and save you some precious time.
What is Dwell Time?
This is a Google ranking factor related to your website speed and responsiveness.
Dwell time represents the time users spend on your website. It is that simple.
The longer visitors stick around your website, the higher Google ranks you.
Here is how it works:
If most visitors landing on your site leave in less than 5 seconds, it is a bad signal (high bounce rate) for Google. RankBrain automatically tells Google that “users have a bad experience with your site.” A bad experience simply means that people aren’t happy with your site and how it functions.
Then what happens? Google simply drops your ranking because it wants the best experience for users.
So, the higher your bounce rate, the lower your site will rank on Google.
In fact, an analysis of 1.3 million Google search results by Backlinko has shown that websites with a lower bounce rate rank above ones with a higher bounce rate.
How Do You Make Your Website Visitors Happy?
How do you feel when you browse a website that loads quickly? Wow! You find the information you want quickly and you are happy. That is what Google wants for its users.
Hence, if you want to get love by Google, you have to make sure your users are happy so they don’t leave quickly (bounce). And, one of the best ways to provide a good user experience to your visitors/clients is to have a fast-loading website.
Website speed is a key factor in user experience. Nobody will browse a website that takes ages to load. Remember that 53% of users leave your website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to show up.
The faster your website loads, the happier your visitors are. The happier they are, the lower your bounce rate. The lower your bounce rate, the higher you rank on Google.
That is how website speed affects your SEO.
Another way to understand how website speed can hurt your SEO is through …
Competition
No matter your niche, you probably have competitors. And, that is where website speed can really hurt you.
The same study by Backlinko mentioned above has also revealed that websites that load faster rank above those that load slower.
