Next month, Google releases a major update to its search tool by ranking website speed. Yawn, I hear you say! But, no, hang on, take note of this one.
The update will — put simply — make the speed at which your website’s pages load a significant factor in how well your site ranks in Google search.
Page load speed has always been a very important factor in visitor website satisfaction. All the reputable stats show that if people wait for too long for a page to load, many will leave a site before the page displays. Slow sites lose sales.
Now, Google is to make speed even more important, and all website owners should be aware of what that means for them.
Google’s Core Web Vitals — a typically obscure techie term covering a range of techniques for making your site fast and a great experience for visitors — are about to become key ranking factors.
How fast is fast?
Do you know how fast your site loads? This page will tell you as well as scoring your Core Web Vitals.
How to speed up your site
If you run a WordPress website, here are some good tips to help speed up your website.
Factors for good rankings
As well as page speed, standard factors such as will continue to be very important in how well your site ranks in Google. For example, all sites need:
- good content
- search engine optimisation
- mobile-friendly design
- strong backlinks
Don’t ignore them!
In fact, if your website is aimed at only a New Zealand audience, and you are already doing well in Google, then chances are you will be fine come May.
Keep an eye on things though once Google brings in its Core Web Vitals update. Use the speed tips above if you need to, and reach out to me if you want help to boost your site in Google.
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