Why you need to make sure your site is up to speed.

There is always much ado about Google’s super secretive algorithm, and how we can best adapt our web pages to it. In recent times, though, Google and other search engines have moved away from the science of SEO, and have incorporated more of the art of the craft. By art we mean more of the quasi-intangible factors that go into SEO. The two main aspects they’ve improved on in recent years have been credibility and user experience. Thankfully, these somewhat intangible factors are made up of definitive tangible parts. One major aspect of user experience is site performance. We’ve covered some tips on how to do it, but not really the why. You’d be surprised at how staggering of an effect site performance has on your business.

  • Bounce rates are dramatic with slow sites

Think that a second or two won’t make a difference? Then you’ve underestimated the shortness of the attention span of the average web user. Several studies have shown that people want a site that loads in two seconds. After 3 seconds, many tend to give up and move along to the next result. And on top of that, a vast majority will not attempt to return to a site that they’ve had trouble with in the past. The grudge is strong with this one.

  • The dollar figure cost

We are all in this business to help others and their websites reach the top of SERPs, and provide all of these great services out of the goodness of our hearts, and don’t expect anything in return. Or not. We want to make money, and so does everyone else. Money certainly isn’t the only thing that matters, but running a business that is losing money for no reason is crazy. Retail giant Amazon conducted a study that showed that even a difference of 100 milliseconds (1/10th of a second!) killed sales by 1%. But it makes sense, doesn’t it? When you click to buy something you want it to load immediately, and if it doesn’t you click the next result. If one tenth of a second drained profits by 1%, what could 3 or 4 seconds do?

  • Google likes sites that work well

User experience is a factor for Google, we all know that. Site speed factors heavily into it, especially on mobile.  In fact, we’d say that because of mobile, this one might be the most important. Time spent on mobile devices now outranks time spent on desktops, and the amount of money spent on mobile is skyrocketing (a projected 70 billion in revenue for mobile apps in 2017). So when you see that not only is it important for you to cater to mobile users, but the almighty Google wants your site to work, too, then you need to realize that a few seconds here or there is hurting your bottom line.

SEO, bounce rates, bottom lines, and everything else that goes into running a successful web-based business can sometimes be a game of inches and seconds. Don’t hurt your chances to get in the game by neglecting to ensure that your site is running up to par. It doesn’t take much to speed things up a bit, and trust us, it is well worth it. These are just a few of the reasons why having your site work well is extremely important.

For help getting your site up to speed, contact the web design experts at BlueHat Marketing.