Page Speed

Definition

Page speed refers to how quickly a web page loads its content and becomes interactive for users. It is a confirmed Google ranking factor for both desktop (since 2010) and mobile (since 2018) searches. Page speed is measured through metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Contentful Paint (FCP), Time to Interactive (TTI), and Total Blocking Time (TBT). Slow pages lead to higher bounce rates — research shows 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Common speed killers include unoptimized images, render-blocking JavaScript and CSS, lack of caching, excessive third-party scripts, and slow server response times. Use tools like SerpNap's Page Speed Estimator or Google's PageSpeed Insights to diagnose and fix speed issues.