What Is Page Speed?
Page speed (sometimes called “load speed”) is a measure of how fast the content of a webpage loads.
However, page speed is not a single metric.
A page loads in stages. As such, page speed is an umbrella term for several different measurements, such as:
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Time to First Byte (TTFB): How long it takes for the page to start loading
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First Contentful Paint (FCP): How long it takes for the user to see the first element of a page (e.g., an image)
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First Input Delay (FID): How long it takes for your site to respond to a user input (e.g., a button click)
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Onload time: How long it takes to fully load the page content
Sometimes users see a blank page at first. Then some elements load. Finally, the entire page finishes loading.
Page speed metrics measure each of these events. These metrics show how fast a page loads compared to Google’s thresholds.
Keep reading to learn why page speed matters for SEO and how to improve it.
Why Is Page Speed Important for SEO?
Page load speed is important for SEO because it’s a confirmed ranking factor on both desktop and mobile.
Google has stated outright that extremely slow pages are less likely to rank well.
Google cares about page speed, because slow sites provide a poor user experience (UX).
Users are more likely to bounce (leave pages) that take more than three seconds to load.
As a result, Google recommends that pages meet “Good” thresholds for key page speed metrics.
How to Check Your Page Load Time
Here are two of the best tools to check your page load time. And how to use them.
PageSpeed Insights
Google’s PageSpeed Insights is a free tool that measures a webpage’s performance.
Use PageSpeed Insights to:
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Check your page load time
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Get performance data
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Get tips for improving your page
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Measure Core Web Vitals (i.e., three key UX metrics)
Here’s how to use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool:
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Open PageSpeed Insights
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Enter the page URL in the search bar
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Click “Analyze”
Toggle between “Mobile” and “Desktop” metrics at the top of the report.
Below this, you’ll see an overall assessment of the page’s Core Web Vitals performance: “Passed” or “Failed.”
You’ll also find a breakdown of the Core Web Vital metrics and other page speed metrics. Plus detailed page speed diagnostics and tips.
Semrush Site Audit
Semrush’s Site Audit tool checks page speed and web performance for all your pages. Not just one page (like PageSpeed Insights).
Site Audit performs over 140 on-page and technical SEO checks.
To check your page speed, open the tool and enter your domain. Click “Start Audit.”
Configure your audit settings, then click “Start Site Audit.”
To check your load speed, performance issues, and more, click “View details” under “Site Performance.”
To see how quickly your pages load (in seconds), check “Page (HTML) Load Speed” and “Avg. Page (HTML) Load Speed.”
You’ll also see a list of “Performance Issues.” Fix “Errors” first, then address “Warnings.”
8 Ways to Improve Your Page Speed SEO
When you run a page or site through a page speed tool, you’ll see many recommendations. The following methods can help you speed up your pages.
1. Choose the Right Image Format
Choosing the right image format is a sure way to optimize your page speed.
Different image formats yield different file sizes. Some formats compress more than others.
Common formats include:
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JPEG: Good for real-life images (photographs)
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PNG: Good for screenshots, designs, logos, or images that require more detail
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GIFs: Slower to load. For animated images, consider converting GIFs into videos.
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WebP: Lighter than JPEG and PNG (up to three times smaller). However, some browsers do not support WebP yet.
2. Compress Your Images
Compress your images to improve load times. Large images slow down pages. And impact SEO.
Keep your image file sizes as small as you can without impacting image quality.
You can do this by resizing images using a free image resizer.
Simply upload your image to the tool (such as PicResize) and select how much you want to reduce your image size by (e.g., 50% smaller).
Optimize images further with a tool like ImageOptim.
Always do this before uploading images to your site.
3. Enable Browser Caching
Enabling browser caching allows webpage data to be temporarily stored in the user’s browser.
Browser caching means returning users see faster load times. Because fewer elements need to load (e.g., images and CSS files).
For WordPress sites, plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Rocket can enable browser caching.
4. Minify JavaScript, CSS, and HTML
Minifying JavaScript, CSS, and HTML reduces file sizes, which can improve your page speed.
Minification removes unnecessary code elements (e.g., line breaks and whitespace), allowing computers to read code faster.
For instance, here’s an example of unminified CSS code:
body {
font: 36px Arial, sans-serif;
}
/* Main container */
#container {
color: white;
background: #ffbd17;
width: 630px;
height: 160px;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
}
/* Content */
#content {
background: #333;
flex: 0 0 10px;
}
And here’s what the same CSS code snippet looks like after minification:
body{font:36px
Arial,sans-serif}#container{color:#fff;background:#ffbd17;width:630px;
height:160px;display:flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center}
#content{background:#333;flex:0 0 10px}
How do you know if your code needs minification?
Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool, which flags pages with unminified JavaScript and CSS.
To find which pages need minification, click “Issues” in your Site Audit report. Then click on the relevant issue to get a full list of affected pages.
Then use an online minifier tool or a WordPress plugin like WP Rocket to minify the affected code.
5. Use a Content Delivery Network
Using a content delivery network(CDN) reduces page loading times for users.
A CDN is a system of servers distributed around the world.
CDNs bring your site “closer” to users by loading a cached version of your site from a server closer to the user’s physical location.
For example, if you cache your site on a CDN, a user in Australia will receive your site from a local server, rather than from a server in Los Angeles.
This reduces loading times.
CDN providers include Cloudflare and Jetpack.
6. Improve Your Server Response Time
Improve your server response time to reduce load speeds.
When a user requests a page, the browser makes a request. The server receives the request and fetches the requested files. Slow server response times cause slow page load speeds.
How do you improve your site’s server response time?
Consider upgrading your hosting plan to a faster option. For example a virtual private server (VPS) is faster than shared hosting.
Here are some other things you can try:
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Optimize your server’s application logic and configuration
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Index database tables or upgrade your database system
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Add more random-access memory (RAM) and processing power
Consult your hosting provider or a developer for help implementing these steps.
7. Reduce Redirects
Reducing redirects removes extra loading steps, improving page speeds.
A redirect occurs when a user clicks on one URL but is automatically sent to a different URL. Such as an updated version of a blog post.
Redirects are useful for SEO and user experience.
Redirecting web traffic from an old or outdated page to a relevant new page preserves search performance. And avoids broken pages and 404 error responses.
However, sometimes redirect chains occur (when a page redirects the user several times).
Each redirect adds an extra step to the page loading process, which slows down the page speed. Which means removing unnecessary redirects can boost your page speed.
Use Semrush’s Site Audit tool to find unnecessary redirects.
Open the “Issues” tab and type “redirect” in the search bar.
You’ll see a list of “Errors,” “Warnings,” and “Notices” related to redirects. Including:
Review all identified redirect chains, loops, and unnecessary redirects. Click on the link within each issue to see a list of affected pages.
The report will show each page’s redirect type and number of redirects:
Remove extra redirects by redirecting the original URL directly to the final URL.
8. Reduce HTTP Requests
HTTP requests happen when a web browser sends a “request” to a website’s server for more information.
When a user visits a page, the server receives a request from the browser. It responds with a file containing text, images, or multimedia. The user can’t view the file until the request finishes.
If the file doesn’t include all the information needed to view the page, the browser sends another request. Each additional request slows page speed and makes the user wait longer to see the entire page.
Reduce or speed up HTTP requests to improve your page speed.
To view a page’s number of HTTP requests, use Google Chrome. Open your page in Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page, and choose “Inspect.”
A Chrome DevTools window will open. Click on the “Network” tab.
Reload the page to see all the HTTP requests (including requests for images, plugins, JavaScript or CSS files). As well as the file size and the time it takes to load each file.
You’ll also see a total request count in the bottom-left corner.
Lowering the number of HTTP requests should improve page speed.
There’s no specific number to aim for, but as a frame of reference, the median number of HTTP requests is 76 for desktop and 70 for mobile.
Optimize Your Technical SEO
Page speed is a key part of technical SEO. It impacts both search rankings and user experience.
To assess your site’s technical health, including page speed, use Semrush’s Site Audit tool. It provides a detailed analysis and recommends steps to improve performance.
Start optimizing your site today with a free site audit. And take the first step toward higher rankings and happier users.