How Google Page Speed Insight Scores Impact SEO featured image

In the world of SEO, page speed is becoming an increasingly important factor. Not only does it affect user experience and engagement, but it can also impact your website’s search engine rankings.

Enter Google Page Speed Insights (GPSI) scores – a tool that measures the performance of web pages on both desktop and mobile devices.

GPSI scores comprehensively analyse a website’s page speed and offer suggestions for improvement. With SEO becoming more competitive every day, website owners need to pay attention to their GPSI scores and strive to improve them.

In this article, I’ll dive into GPSI scores, why they matter for SEO, and how you can optimise your website for better performance. So, let’s get started!

What are Google Page Speed Insights Scores?

Google Page Speed Insights (GPSI) scores are a crucial metric for website owners and developers to ensure their sites load quickly and efficiently. In today’s fast-paced digital environment, having a fast-loading website can make all the difference in attracting and retaining visitors.

The GPSI score is based on various factors contributing to a website’s overall loading speed. These factors may include server response time, image optimisation, JavaScript and CSS file size, browser caching, and many others.

So how Exactly are GPSI Scores Calculated?

Google uses a proprietary algorithm that takes into account a variety of different metrics to determine a website’s overall speed and performance. This algorithm assigns a score between 0 and 100, with higher scores indicating a faster-loading website.

To get an accurate GPSI score for a website, you can simply enter the website’s URL into the Google PageSpeed Insights tool. The tool will then run a series of tests on the website and provide a detailed report, including a desktop and mobile score.

Once you have received your GPSI scores, you can use this information to identify areas where improvements can be made. For example, if the GPSI report reveals that images on the site are not properly optimised, you may need to compress or resize these images to improve load times.

Why do GPSI Scores Matter for SEO?

One of the most important reasons why GPSI scores matter for SEO is user experience. Studies have shown that visitors are more likely to abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load, which means that having a fast-loading website is essential for keeping visitors engaged and on your site for longer periods of time.

Optimising your site for speed can improve the overall user experience, leading to higher engagement rates and, ultimately, better conversions.

Google also uses page speed as a ranking factor in its search algorithm. In fact, since 2018, page speed has been a direct ranking factor for mobile searches.

So websites that load quickly and efficiently will typically rank higher in search results than those that take longer to load. Additionally, Google’s algorithm takes into account other factors related to page speed, such as mobile-friendliness, responsive design, and server response time.

How to use GPSI Scores to Improve SEO

Another way GPSI scores can impact SEO is by identifying areas where improvements can be made. For example, if the GPSI report reveals that images or videos on the site are not properly optimised, this could signal that these elements need to be compressed or resized to improve load times. Making these improvements can help boost GPSI scores and, in turn, improve search rankings.

Here are some tips and strategies for improving GPSI scores and optimising for page speed:

Compress Images and Videos

Large image and video files can significantly slow down your website, leading to poor GPSI scores. To address this issue, you should compress images and videos before uploading them to your site. You can use Photoshop or online compression tools to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality.

Minimise HTTP Requests

Every time a page on your website loads, it sends multiple HTTP requests to the server. The more requests that need to be made, the longer it takes for the page to load. To minimise HTTP requests, you can merge CSS and JavaScript files, use sprites for images, and remove unnecessary code.

Use Browser Caching

Browser caching allows users’ browsers to store certain elements of your website locally, so they don’t need to be loaded every time a user visits your site. This can significantly improve page speeds, particularly for returning visitors. You can set up browser caching using HTTP headers on your server.

Optimise Your Server Response Time

The time it takes for your server to respond to requests can have a significant impact on page speed. You can optimise your server response time by reducing the size of your HTML, optimising your database queries, and using a content delivery network (CDN).

Use Responsive Design

Responsive design ensures your website looks good and functions well on all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Mobile devices are increasingly becoming the primary way that people access the internet. Responsive design can help improve GPSI scores and ensure your website ranks well in mobile search results.

In addition to these tips and strategies, it’s essential to regularly monitor your GPSI scores and address any issues that arise promptly. Common issues that can affect GPSI scores include:

  • Large images or videos.
  • Excessive HTTP requests.
  • Outdated code.
  • Slow server response times.

By addressing these issues and optimising your site for speed, you can improve your GPSI scores and, ultimately, your SEO rankings.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, GPSI scores are critical in website and search engine optimisation. Optimising your site for speed and regularly monitoring your GPSI scores can improve the overall user experience, drive more traffic and conversions to your website, and boost search rankings.

Remember, page speed is a crucial ranking factor and every second counts when it comes to retaining visitors and improving SEO rankings. By prioritising speed and using GPSI scores to guide your optimisation efforts, you can stay ahead of the competition, deliver an exceptional user experience, and achieve your SEO goals.

Neil is a freelance web designer and marketer based in the UK. For the last 14 years he has been creating affiliate and small business websites that succeed online.