Website Speed and SEO: How to Optimize Performance

Website speed improves user experience, reduces bounce rate, and increases search engine rankings. Optimize performance by compressing images, reducing code, and leveraging caching to ensure fast loading times and better SEO results.

Google’s guidelines confirm that page loading speed is a key factor for a website’s ranking and SEO optimization.

A case study that demonstrates how important website speed is, is that of the telecommunications company Vodafone.

The “company observed that, by optimizing the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) by 31%, they had an increase of” 8% in sales.

Furthermore, this optimization resulted in a 15% increase in the ratio between leads and site visits, and an 11% improvement in the conversion rate.

Want to know more? Keep reading!

The Impact of Speed on Google Ranking

The search engine giant, Google, has established since 2010 that loading speed is a criterion used for ranking desktop searches. Since 2018, it has also been applied to mobile searches.

In “April 2023, Google updated its documentation on ranking systems again, shifting” attention from “‘page experience’ to more qualitative factors such as” experience, expertise, “authoritativeness, and” trustworthiness of content (EEAT).

Despite this important update, page speed remains a relevant ranking factor, although its impact has changed.

Content relevance and quality prevail, but a good page experience, including loading speed, positively contributes to the “user’s interaction with” the site.

Therefore, while not being the only evaluation element, a web page’s speed continues to be important for Google ranking. To put it simply, you can’t ignore it!

How Does Speed Affect User Satisfaction and Behavior?

A fast site positively contributes to the “user experience and directly impacts important metrics such as”bounce rate, time spent on page, and conversions.

Let’s take an example: if an e-commerce site takes too long to load, potential customers might decide to abandon their cart and look for a faster alternative, resulting in decreased sales.

Moreover, a fast site conveys the idea of efficiency and user-focused attention, while a slow site can give the impression of negligence or lack of care.

A good page experience, of which speed is an integral part, facilitates “access and” interaction with content, encouraging users to stay longer on the site and explore different sections.

Optimize Your Website Speed Now: Practical Tips to Pass the Speed Test

Here are 10 tips you should implement immediately to speed up your website:

1. Leverage browser caching to reduce loading times on subsequent visits

When a user visits a site, the browser downloads various elements such as images, scripts, and stylesheets. By saving these elements in the browser cache, you avoid having to reload them every time the user revisits the page or navigates to other parts of the site.

To optimize the use of browser cache, you can set appropriate expiration dates for different types of content.

Elements that rarely change, such as logos or stylesheets, can have a longer expiration date, while more dynamic content requires shorter expiration dates.

Cache configuration can be managed through HTTP headers in server responses.

By correctly setting these headers, developers can indicate to browsers how long to keep files in cache before requesting a new copy from the server.

2. Clean up the source code and improve loading speed and crawlability by search engines

Clean and well-organized code facilitates the work of search engines in understanding and cataloging the site’s content, thus improving “crawlability” and potentially visibility in search results.

Here’s what you need to do to clean up your code:

• Remove superfluous code: eliminate comments, unnecessary white spaces, and unused code. This reduces file size and loading times.

• Optimize CSS and JavaScript: minify CSS and JavaScript files, compressing them into smaller files that require less time to be downloaded and interpreted by the browser.

• Semantic HTML structure: use semantic HTML markup, which helps search engines understand the structure and content of your site.

• Reduce the number of external files: each external CSS or JavaScript file requires a separate HTTP request. Merging files where possible can reduce the number of requests and speed up loading.

• Use efficient programming techniques: for example, avoid inefficient loops in JavaScript and prefer optimized CSS selectors.

• Validate your code: use validators like the W3C Markup Validation Service to identify and correct errors in your HTML.

• Review image usage: ensure that images are optimized for the web, using the correct format and dimensions, and consider replacing complex images with CSS when possible.

• Responsive design: ensure that the code supports a responsive design, thus improving accessibility and mobile SEO.

3. Enable server-side compression

This process reduces the size of data transmitted between the server and the user’s browser, and accelerates page loading time.

Here’s how to enable compression on your server:

• Identify the server software: the process of enabling compression may vary depending on the server software you’re using, such as Apache, Nginx or IIS. Identify the software to apply the correct settings.

• Configure compression in Apache: if you use Apache, you can enable compression through the mod_deflate module. You’ll need to add some directives in the .htaccess file or in the main configuration file to specify which types of files to compress.

• Configure compression in Nginx: in Nginx, compression is handled through the ngx_http_gzip_module module. You can enable it by modifying the Nginx configuration file and setting the appropriate parameters to activate gzip compression on the desired content types.

• Use compression algorithms: the most common algorithms for web compression are gzip and Brotli. Gzip is widely supported and can significantly reduce the size of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. Brotli, which is relatively newer, offers a better compression ratio and is gaining support among modern browsers.

• Test the configuration: after enabling compression, test your website to ensure that compression is active and working correctly. You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to verify if compression has been successfully implemented.

• Monitor performance: after enabling compression, continue to monitor your website’s performance and the impact on loading speed. Make sure that compression doesn’t cause compatibility issues or other technical problems.

4. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) and distribute content across multiple servers

A CDN is a network of geographically distributed servers that work together to quickly deliver Internet content, such as videos, images, and HTML files, to users based on their geographical location.

Read below how you can use a CDN to optimize your website’s performance:

• There are several CDN providers, each with their own features and pricing plans. Choose a provider that suits your website’s needs and your target audience.

• After choosing a provider, configure your CDN to work with your website. This usually involves updating DNS to route requests through the CDN and configuring CDN settings to specify which content to distribute.

• CDNs are particularly effective in distributing static content, such as images, CSS stylesheets, and JavaScript files. By uploading this content to CDN servers, you can reduce the load on your origin server and speed up content access for users.

• The CDN caches static content, so future requests for that content can be served directly from CDN servers, reducing loading times.

• After implementing the CDN, monitor your website’s performance to ensure that content delivery is optimized and loading times are improved. Use analytics tools to evaluate the impact of the CDN on site performance.

5. Avoid landing page redirects because they add loading times

Each redirect introduces an additional delay as the browser must complete a request to the server, which can significantly lengthen the total page loading time.

Here are some guidelines to minimize redirects and optimize loading speed:

• Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or specific browser plugins to identify redirects on your site. Understanding where and why redirects occur will allow you to determine which ones are necessary and which you can eliminate.

• Sometimes, redirects accumulate over time due to site changes or temporary decisions that become permanent. If a redirect is no longer needed, remove it!

• For redirects that are essential, ensure they are configured in the most efficient way possible. For example, use direct redirects instead of redirect chains.

• When you need to permanently redirect a page, use a 301 redirect, which is more efficient from an SEO perspective than a 302 redirect. 301 redirects are cached by the browser, reducing latency for future visits.

• Avoid redirects that occur when a user first loads your site, as these are the most detrimental to loading speed.

• Every time you make significant changes to your site structure, check if new redirects have been introduced and optimize or remove them if they’re not necessary.

6. Use lazy loading and load images only when they enter the viewport

“The use of lazy loading, also known as Lazy Loading, is a technique that allows images or other multimedia content to be loaded only when they are about to enter the user’s” viewport.

This method significantly improves page loading speed, reducing the time needed to display initial content and saving resources for both the server and the user’s device.

Here’s how you can implement lazy loading on your website:

• Recently, lazy loading has been directly integrated into HTML through the ‘loading’ attribute. You can simply add loading=lazy to your <img> and <iframe> tags to enable lazy loading without the need for additional JavaScript.

• For greater compatibility and functionality, you can use JavaScript or specific libraries for lazy loading. These solutions monitor the user’s scroll position and load content only when necessary.

• Ensure that your lazy loading method is compatible with major browsers and devices. Although the ‘loading’ attribute is supported by most modern browsers, you might need a fallback solution for older ones.

• Before implementing lazy loading, optimize images for the web. Use efficient image formats like WebP, and ensure that image sizes are appropriate to avoid wasting bandwidth.

• Even though lazy loading can improve loading times, make sure it doesn’t compromise the user experience. Images should load smoothly and timely, without causing noticeable flickering or delays.

• Ensure that lazy loading doesn’t hide important content from search engines. Verify that search engine bots can still properly index your images.

7. Optimize server configuration to reduce response times

A well-configured server handles requests faster, improving the user experience and potentially your search engine ranking.

Here are some key steps to optimize your server configuration:

• Verify that the operating system and web server software (such as Apache, Nginx, IIS) are updated to the latest version to benefit from the latest optimizations and security features.

• Enable server-side compression to reduce the size of transmitted data. Tools like gzip or Brotli can significantly reduce the size of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files before they are sent to the user.

• Database queries can become a bottleneck if the database is not optimized. Ensure that tables are properly indexed and queries are efficient. Consider using caching for query results to reduce the load on the database.

• Disable server modules or plugins that are not necessary. Each additional module can consume resources and slow down server response.

• Use monitoring tools to track CPU, memory, and disk usage. Optimize the configuration based on your specific needs, ensuring there are no bottlenecks that could slow down the server.

• Configure server-side caching to store copies of web pages or static elements.

• Ensure that the Keep-Alive functionality is enabled on your web server. This allows multiple HTTP requests to be made over a single TCP connection, reducing the overhead of creating new connections.

• Consider, as we’ve already explained in this article, using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute static content.

8. Optimize site media to avoid unnecessarily weighing down pages

Images, videos, and audio files can be very heavy and significantly slow down loading times if not managed properly.

Follow these tips to optimize them:

• Before uploading images to your site, use compression tools to reduce their size without losing visual quality. We recommend, among the many tools available, TinyPNG, ImageOptim, Canva, or the built-in editing features in Microsoft or Apple.

• Use modern and efficient image formats like WebP, which offers superior compression while maintaining good image quality, or consider using formats like JPEG or PNG when more appropriate.

• For videos, consider using external video hosting platforms like YouTube or Vimeo that automatically optimize videos for the web. If you need to host videos on your server, make sure they are compressed and in a web-suitable format.

• As with images, lazy loading can also be applied to videos and other media. This means that multimedia content is loaded only when the user scrolls the page and approaches the element, not as soon as the page opens.

• Make sure images and videos are properly resized for their use on the site. There’s no reason to load a 5000-pixel wide image if it will only be displayed at 500 pixels!

• Configure HTTP headers to take advantage of browser caching, so users don’t have to reload media every time they visit your site.

9. Improve HTML CSS structure: cleaner and optimized code reduces page weight and improves speed

A well-organized and optimized code structure allows browsers to interpret and display content more quickly, improving the user experience and overall site performance. Let’s see how to do it:

• Use minification tools to remove empty spaces, comments, and unnecessary characters from your HTML and CSS files. This process reduces file size and accelerates loading times.

• Ensure that your HTML code is semantic and well-structured. Use the correct HTML elements for the content you’re presenting, improving accessibility and efficiency in page rendering.

• Avoid redundancy in CSS code by combining styles when possible and using a consistent naming convention. Consider using CSS pre-processors like Sass or LESS to better organize your code.

• Although they can be useful for small interventions, inline CSS styles can increase the weight of your page and make maintenance more complex. Where possible, move inline styles to external stylesheets.

• Leverage modern CSS features like Flexbox or Grid for more efficient layouts and less code, thus reducing the weight of your site.

• Combine multiple CSS or JavaScript files into a single file to reduce the number of HTTP requests the browser needs to make, speeding up page loading.

• Ensure that your site is responsive and that media queries are used efficiently to apply styles only when necessary.

• Use the W3C validator to ensure that your HTML and CSS code complies with standards, avoiding errors that could slow down page scanning and rendering.

To better understand, look at these two CSS examples. The first one below is not optimized, the other one is!

Example of unoptimized CSS where there are unnecessary repetitions and properties that can be grouped to optimize the code:

Example of optimized and clean CSS where:

• The h1 and p elements share the same color property, so they have been grouped to reduce repetition.

• The definition of .btn has been consolidated into a single block, eliminating the need to declare the same selector multiple times.

10. Carefully choose themes and plugins and avoid those that can slow down your site

Poorly coded themes and plugins can significantly weigh down your site, slowing its loading and negatively affecting user experience and search engine ranking.

Learn to select themes and plugins by following these tips:

• Before choosing a theme or plugin, verify the code quality. Look for reviews, ratings, and user feedback. A high number of active installations and positive reviews is a good indicator of quality.

• Ensure that the theme or plugin receives regular updates and has good support. Timely assistance and constant updates ensure that the product remains compatible with the latest versions of WordPress and other components.

• Before implementing a new theme or plugin, you should measure the speed on a staging or test environment. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you assess the impact on your site’s performance.

• Choose themes and plugins that offer the functionalities you really need, avoiding those overloaded with unnecessary options that can weigh down your site.

• Ensure that the theme is responsive and optimized to work on mobile devices.

• If you have the technical skills, analyze the theme or plugin code to identify any quality or performance issues.

• Avoid installing multiple plugins that offer similar functionalities. This will prevent conflicts and slowdowns.

• After installing a new theme or plugin, monitor your site’s performance over time to ensure there are no issues.

Complete guide on how to read reports and identify critical areas

Correctly reading and interpreting the reports related to your website’s performance is crucial for identifying and improving critical areas that affect your online presence.

In this guide, we explain step by step how to read reports generated by website analysis tools and identify areas that need optimization:

• Use reliable tools such as Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, or Google PageSpeed Insights to generate detailed reports on your site’s performance.

• Start by examining traffic metrics. Look at the number of visitors, sessions, average session duration, and bounce rate. A high bounce rate may indicate that visitors are not finding what they’re looking for or that the site is too slow to load.

• Identify where the traffic comes from (organic search, referrals, social) to understand which channels are performing better and which need improvements.

• Analyze the most visited pages, time spent on each page, and navigation paths “within the site. This can help you understand which content is most attractive and how to improve the site’s” architecture.

• If you have set up goals or tracked specific events, check the conversion rate. A low conversion rate could indicate problems in the user experience or clarity of the “action required from the” user.

• Use Google PageSpeed Insights to get a detailed report on your pages’ loading speed. The tool provides a speed score and specific suggestions to improve loading performance.

• Check mobile usability reports to identify any display or interaction issues on smaller screens.

• Review SEO-related reports to understand how your pages are indexed and ranked in search engines. Identify poorly performing pages to optimize titles, descriptions, content, and images.

• Don’t ignore errors or warnings in the reports. These include crawl issues, 404 errors, security problems, or usability warnings that can negatively affect both user experience and ranking.

• Based on the “analysis of the reports, develop an” action plan to address critical issues.

Remember that report analysis is an ongoing process. Regularly monitoring your site’s performance will allow you to make timely changes and adapt to market developments and user needs.

What is the benchmark value to understand if your website is fast in loading

To determine if your website is fast in loading, it’s important to refer to specific benchmark values (Core Web Vitals) that indicate a web page’s speed.

Generally, a good loading speed for a website should not exceed 2-3 seconds. However, goals may vary depending on the type of site and content. Here are some benchmark values to consider:

• First Contentful Paint (FCP): indicates the time it takes for the site to start showing the first content to the user after they have requested the page. A good FCP value is less than 2 seconds.

• Time to Interactive (TTI): measures how long it takes for the page to become fully interactive. A good value for TTI is less than 5 seconds.

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): measures the time taken to load the largest visible content within the viewport. According to Google, to provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within the first 2.5 seconds of page load.

• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures visual stability, indicating how often users experience unexpected changes in page layout. A good CLS value should be less than 0.1.

• Speed Index: measures how quickly content is visually displayed during page load. A good Speed Index value is less than 4.3.

Mobile-first optimization: the importance of optimizing for mobile devices to improve both speed and ranking

Google has adopted a “mobile-first approach in” indexing websites, which means that optimizing your site for mobile devices is crucial for improving both loading speed and search engine ranking.

For mobile-first optimization, follow these best practices:

• Ensure that your website is responsive and automatically adapts to provide optimal viewing across a variety of devices and screen sizes.

• On mobile devices, loading speed is even more critical given the possible limitations in internet connection speed. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to evaluate and improve your site’s loading times on mobile devices.

• Interactive elements must be of adequate size and easily clickable on mobile devices. Spaces that are too narrow between links or buttons can create a frustrating user experience.

• Make sure images are optimized for mobile devices, not only in terms of size but also format and compression, to speed up loading times.

• Reduce superfluous code and optimize CSS, JavaScript, and HTML to improve loading speed and responsiveness of your site on mobile devices.

• Perform website speed tests on real mobile devices to ensure that the user experience is smooth and free of obstacles.

• Ensure that text is readable without the need to zoom and that important page elements, such as service offerings and CTAs, are easily visible and accessible.

Conclusions

Having reached the end of this article, you have understood well that optimizing the speed and performance of your website improves the “user experience” and your search engine ranking.

We have explored various strategies, from “image and code optimization to careful selection of themes and plugins, to the” importance of a mobile-first approach.

Remember that:

1. A fast site improves the “user” experience and positively contributes to SEO.
2. Given “its growing importance, ensure that your site offers an” optimal experience on mobile devices.
3. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to regularly monitor your site’s performance and identify causes of slowness and improve them.
4. Improving site speed contributes to enhancing online visibility and “user” interaction with your content.

If you need assistance in optimizing your website’s speed, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Optimize your website now to transform speed into your strength. Contact us!