Google PageSpeed Optimization Guide
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 8:47 am
Google PageSpeed Optimization Guide
Site speed is a huge part of the user experience of your blog. That’s why having a fast site is key if you’re going to start a blog . Enter: this Google PageSpeed optimization guide from my friend and talented developer Andy Feliciotti. Google also ranks websites based on their speed using a metric called PageSpeed. It’s not easy to get your site to score 100 on the Google PageSpeed test . But I’m here to help! Whether you’re a blogger or an eCommerce site , we’ll walk you through the pakistan b2b leads
steps to get your Google PageSpeed to 100.
Contents hide
1 What is Google PageSpeed?
2 Why does page speed matter?
3 How to check your website speed
4 PageSpeed Best Practices: Common Google PageSpeed Issues and How to Fix Them
4.1 Speeding up server response time
4.2 Enable compression
4.3 Minifying CSS, HTML and JavaScript
4.4 Minify Unused CSS
4.5 Using Browser Caching
4.6 Removing Render-Blocking Resources
4.7 Efficient Image Coding
4.8 Correct image size
4.9 Set images off-screen
4.10 All text remains visible when loading Webfont
4.11 Avoid multiple page redirects
5 Final Thoughts on Google PageSpeed Optimization for Your Blog
5.1 Related publications:
What is Google PageSpeed?
Page speed is the time it takes for your website content to reach a user’s browser . This is important because users visiting your site don’t want to wait for your content . You know the feeling: you find the answer to your question on Google, click on the link, and then give up when the page never loads. Google knows this too, which is why site speed is a major ranking factor . The most popular tool for checking site speed is Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool . It’s the best way to find out exactly what Google thinks about your site in terms of page speed.
Notable Google PageSpeed metrics :
Largest Content Picture (LCP): A measurement of how quickly a page loads as perceived by users. Primarily when content above the fold finishes loading.
First Input Delay (FID): A measurement in seconds of the delay before a user can interact with a website.
Cumulative Layout Slip (CLS): A measurement in seconds until the page layout stops "slipping." For example, loading an image can cause the layout on your site to slip. This is important because a user might want to click on an element on your site before it finishes loading, and the slip might cause them to click on something else.
First Contentful Paint (FCP): A measurement of the time it takes for something to be displayed on the screen.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Interaction to Next Paint monitors for delays in user interactions with the page. For example, if the user clicks on an accordion and there is an unexpected delay when it opens.
Time to First Byte (TTFB): A measurement of the time until the browser receives a response from the server.
You'll see these terms used frequently in Google Search Console ( Core Web Vitals report ), PageSpeed Insights, and Chrome User Experience Report.
Why does page speed matter?
Page speed is important because it directly impacts the amount of traffic and money your blog can make. Research has shown that site speed directly impacts conversion rates . Portent data shows that if your page loads in 1 second versus 5 seconds, your conversions will drop by almost 50%. Site load time not only impacts Google rankings , but also your conversion rates .
Your website’s page load time affects every aspect of the user experience , from your placement in Google’s search results to your customers’ patience. Since users primarily use mobile devices , every kilobyte your site loads needs to be considered. The longer a user has to sit and wait for a page to load, the higher the bounce rate will be . Your website speed doesn’t just affect Google’s SERP , most search engines take page load speed into account . That’s why having a site that loads quickly is essential on today’s web. Luckily, making a fast site isn’t that difficult if you use modern tools and know what to do.
How to check your website speed
If you're not familiar with Google PageSpeed, it's a series of tests that Google runs on your site to determine how fast your site loads. When a Google user clicks on a search result, they expect it to load quickly. That's why Google created the Google PageSpeed Insights test. It gives site owners the tools to know exactly what's slowing down their site and how to fix it. It also gives Google the data it needs to rank the site correctly in the search engine algorithm .
Using the tool is very simple – just enter your site URL and click the Analyze button. The test will run quickly and give you a lot of key metrics. Additionally, if you want to test locally , you can use Google’s open source Lighthouse to get similar results right in your browser. Another place to look at your site’s performance is the Google Analytics Page Timing report. You probably won’t need to fix everything I’ll cover in this article, but I’ll cover the most common PageSpeed issues and how to fix them.
PageSpeed Best Practices: Common Google PageSpeed Issues and How to Fix Them
Most of the tips in this section assume you have a WordPress blog . I’ve also included more detailed instructions for developers to troubleshoot manually. The best way I’ve found to improve WordPress site speed is to use WP-Rocket . WP-Rocket is a paid plugin , but it’s worth it because it implements many of the best performance practices out of the box. For most page speed issues, I’ll highlight if WP-Rocket can help and provide a free alternative if one is available. Your WordPress theme also plays a huge role in your site’s core metrics.
]
Speeding up server response time
A fast server response time is essential for a great Google PageSpeed score. Essentially, server response time is how long it takes your site’s server to produce a web page for a user. This is one of the easiest issues to fix if you see a warning in your PageSpeed report. The most common way to fix this issue is to use page caching. This means that your site will serve the web page from the cache, so the server will have to do almost no work.
Site speed is a huge part of the user experience of your blog. That’s why having a fast site is key if you’re going to start a blog . Enter: this Google PageSpeed optimization guide from my friend and talented developer Andy Feliciotti. Google also ranks websites based on their speed using a metric called PageSpeed. It’s not easy to get your site to score 100 on the Google PageSpeed test . But I’m here to help! Whether you’re a blogger or an eCommerce site , we’ll walk you through the pakistan b2b leads
steps to get your Google PageSpeed to 100.
Contents hide
1 What is Google PageSpeed?
2 Why does page speed matter?
3 How to check your website speed
4 PageSpeed Best Practices: Common Google PageSpeed Issues and How to Fix Them
4.1 Speeding up server response time
4.2 Enable compression
4.3 Minifying CSS, HTML and JavaScript
4.4 Minify Unused CSS
4.5 Using Browser Caching
4.6 Removing Render-Blocking Resources
4.7 Efficient Image Coding
4.8 Correct image size
4.9 Set images off-screen
4.10 All text remains visible when loading Webfont
4.11 Avoid multiple page redirects
5 Final Thoughts on Google PageSpeed Optimization for Your Blog
5.1 Related publications:
What is Google PageSpeed?
Page speed is the time it takes for your website content to reach a user’s browser . This is important because users visiting your site don’t want to wait for your content . You know the feeling: you find the answer to your question on Google, click on the link, and then give up when the page never loads. Google knows this too, which is why site speed is a major ranking factor . The most popular tool for checking site speed is Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool . It’s the best way to find out exactly what Google thinks about your site in terms of page speed.
Notable Google PageSpeed metrics :
Largest Content Picture (LCP): A measurement of how quickly a page loads as perceived by users. Primarily when content above the fold finishes loading.
First Input Delay (FID): A measurement in seconds of the delay before a user can interact with a website.
Cumulative Layout Slip (CLS): A measurement in seconds until the page layout stops "slipping." For example, loading an image can cause the layout on your site to slip. This is important because a user might want to click on an element on your site before it finishes loading, and the slip might cause them to click on something else.
First Contentful Paint (FCP): A measurement of the time it takes for something to be displayed on the screen.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Interaction to Next Paint monitors for delays in user interactions with the page. For example, if the user clicks on an accordion and there is an unexpected delay when it opens.
Time to First Byte (TTFB): A measurement of the time until the browser receives a response from the server.
You'll see these terms used frequently in Google Search Console ( Core Web Vitals report ), PageSpeed Insights, and Chrome User Experience Report.
Why does page speed matter?
Page speed is important because it directly impacts the amount of traffic and money your blog can make. Research has shown that site speed directly impacts conversion rates . Portent data shows that if your page loads in 1 second versus 5 seconds, your conversions will drop by almost 50%. Site load time not only impacts Google rankings , but also your conversion rates .
Your website’s page load time affects every aspect of the user experience , from your placement in Google’s search results to your customers’ patience. Since users primarily use mobile devices , every kilobyte your site loads needs to be considered. The longer a user has to sit and wait for a page to load, the higher the bounce rate will be . Your website speed doesn’t just affect Google’s SERP , most search engines take page load speed into account . That’s why having a site that loads quickly is essential on today’s web. Luckily, making a fast site isn’t that difficult if you use modern tools and know what to do.
How to check your website speed
If you're not familiar with Google PageSpeed, it's a series of tests that Google runs on your site to determine how fast your site loads. When a Google user clicks on a search result, they expect it to load quickly. That's why Google created the Google PageSpeed Insights test. It gives site owners the tools to know exactly what's slowing down their site and how to fix it. It also gives Google the data it needs to rank the site correctly in the search engine algorithm .
Using the tool is very simple – just enter your site URL and click the Analyze button. The test will run quickly and give you a lot of key metrics. Additionally, if you want to test locally , you can use Google’s open source Lighthouse to get similar results right in your browser. Another place to look at your site’s performance is the Google Analytics Page Timing report. You probably won’t need to fix everything I’ll cover in this article, but I’ll cover the most common PageSpeed issues and how to fix them.
PageSpeed Best Practices: Common Google PageSpeed Issues and How to Fix Them
Most of the tips in this section assume you have a WordPress blog . I’ve also included more detailed instructions for developers to troubleshoot manually. The best way I’ve found to improve WordPress site speed is to use WP-Rocket . WP-Rocket is a paid plugin , but it’s worth it because it implements many of the best performance practices out of the box. For most page speed issues, I’ll highlight if WP-Rocket can help and provide a free alternative if one is available. Your WordPress theme also plays a huge role in your site’s core metrics.
]
Speeding up server response time
A fast server response time is essential for a great Google PageSpeed score. Essentially, server response time is how long it takes your site’s server to produce a web page for a user. This is one of the easiest issues to fix if you see a warning in your PageSpeed report. The most common way to fix this issue is to use page caching. This means that your site will serve the web page from the cache, so the server will have to do almost no work.