More than a decade ago, Google let it be known that site speed officially became a search ranking factor. Although the post did not clarify the impact of speed on the rankings, webmasters reading the announcement understood that website speed optimization should be at the top of their development plans. Nowadays, this is more valid than ever, and arguably even more so than back then.
If you’re in the process of building your first website, it’s crucial to keep in mind that page load times are vital in keeping visitors on your website. HubSpot reports that a drop in conversion is related to increasing page load times – a one-second delay in load time could lead to a ~20-30% reduction in conversion [1]!
Over the past several years, there has been a steady increase in average page sizes. This is partly – though not solely – due to the explosion in popularity of video, with more websites embedding videos into their content. Of course images and static files have also played a role.
Even with these elements and the ever-increasing page load that accompanies them, there are still actions you can take to improve how your site handles things. This article that you’re reading right now is going to teach you what those actions are, so that you can improve your website speed optimization.
