{"id":2474,"date":"2022-02-16T09:28:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T09:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/?p=2474"},"modified":"2022-02-16T14:45:26","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T14:45:26","slug":"what-you-should-know-about-page-speed-as-a-google-ranking-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/what-you-should-know-about-page-speed-as-a-google-ranking-factor\/2022\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Should Know About Page Speed As A Google Ranking Factor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We all make strenuous efforts to improve page speed<\/a> in the hopes of benefiting from a ranking boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google is said to prioritize speed when ranking search results, giving faster sites an advantage over slower sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, can the loading time of a page affect its SEO<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it can, how strong is the signal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we investigate the claims about page speed as a Google ranking factor<\/a>, we’ll answer those questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Claim: Page Speed Is An Important Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pages that meet a specific speed threshold are said to benefit from a ranking boost in Google’s search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The time it takes for a page to load after a user clicks on a link on a search engine results page (SERP) is measured as speed \u2013 especially now that Core Web Vitals evaluates loading, interactivity, and visual stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google provides a tool for measuring loading time called PageSpeed Insights<\/a>, which adds credence to the claims that speed is a ranking factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These claims are also based on the fact that Google strives to serve pages that provide a better user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, it’s easy to believe that faster pages have an advantage in search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s more appealing to have a page load immediately after clicking on it \u2013 that’s the whole point of AMP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A SERP full of lightning-fast links may appear to be a satisfying solution, but it may exclude more relevant pages that take longer to load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where the argument that page speed is a ranking factor begins to crumble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google has repeatedly stated that relevance is the most important ranking factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast pages could be served ahead of content that provides a better answer to the user’s query if they were automatically boosted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would be a disservice to searchers because it would sacrifice quality for speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, there are arguments both for and against using page speed as a ranking factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The significance of this ostensible signal is hotly debated in the SEO industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the following section, we’ll look at the evidence and clear up some misconceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Proof That Page Speed Is A Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Google has used speed as a ranking factor since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An announcement made in April 2010 confirms that Google’s search algorithm will begin taking speed into account when ranking search results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike us, our users place a lot of value in speed \u2013 that\u2019s why we\u2019ve decided to take site speed into account in our search rankings.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This update affected desktop search results, and what appears to be fast on a desktop may appear to be slow on a mobile device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be sure, until nearly a decade ago, mobile searchers were still served frustratingly slow pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google made page speed a ranking factor for mobile search results in July 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a company announcement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsers want to find answers to their questions quickly and data shows that people really care about how quickly their pages load. The Search team announced speed would be a ranking signal for desktop searches in 2010 and as of this month (July 2018), page speed will be a ranking factor for mobile searches too.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Google still considers page speed when serving search results, though the company confirms that the original signal has been replaced by the page experience signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Twitter, Google’s John Mueller says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe try to avoid unnecessary duplication in our code, so I would assume [the page experience update] replaces the previous speed ranking factors.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

See our chapter on Core Web Vitals for more information on how Google’s page experience update evaluates speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Opinion on Page Speed as a Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What You Should Know About Page Speed As A Google Ranking Factor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Page speed is a well-established ranking factor in Google’s search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The time required to benefit from this ranking signal is constantly changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is currently possible to meet it by meeting Google’s minimum thresholds for Core Web Vitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s worth repeating that speed isn’t as important as a page’s relevance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So keep that in mind when deciding where to direct your SEO efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n