Search Engine Optimization: AboutUs Weblog

Friday, September 9, 2011

AboutUs Weblog

Site speed: Yes, it really is that important.

Posted: 08 Sep 2011 09:31 AM PDT

You may have heard us talk about site speed before, but we think it bears repeating because it’s so important. Plus, we have some new statistics and tips to share.

Site speed can help – or hurt – your SEO and sales.

Site speed – how long it takes a web page to load and show up in a web browser window – is now one of Google’s ranking factors. That means Google takes site speed into account when deciding how high a site should show up in search results. A slow site will have a a hard time outranking its competitors.

If visitors have to wait too long for your site to load, they’re more likely to leave quickly, and less likely to do what you want them to do – like buy your product or service, contact you for a quote, sign up for your newsletter, or download your e-book. Recent studies have revealed some sobering stats:

A 1-second delay in page response can result in 7% fewer conversions
47% of consumers expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less
A 100-millisecond delay on Amazon.com caused a 1% drop in revenue

How fast does your website load?

You can test your site speed with various tools like Pingdom’s site speed test.

How can you make your website load faster?

Don’t despair – there are several things you can do. The AboutUs Site Report analyzes your website and tells you which things your site is already doing right, and what you should do next to help your website load faster. We explain why each recommendation matters and how to implement the change right in the Site Report.

Sign up for a free one-week trial of the Site Report. Get an analysis and recommendations for improving your site speed and other important SEO elements. The Site Report also tracks your Google rank – and your competitors’ positions – for your most important keywords over time.

For more information on how to improve your site speed, read 7 Easy Ways To Improve Your Site Speed for SEO.

Questions? Comment on this post, email Help@AboutUs.org, or call 1.800.AboutUs or 1.503.488.5763 and press 3.