How important is page loading speed in the process of SEO optimization?

SEO optimization is a rather extensive process, on multiple levels. Being an online marketing technique, Search Engine Optimization doesn’t only involve writing articles based on keywords and sharing them online for creating backlinks.

Furthermore, SEO optimization is not only about optimizing on-page texts, found on every website, either an e-shop or a presentation website for different services. When we are talking about SEO optimization, we also have to consider the page loading speed of that certain website, which may benefit or affect user experience (UX).

Page loading speed, a crucial factor in SEO optimization

In other words, the faster a page loads and the faster a site works during browsing, the more time users will spend on it: they will browse it, study the offer and, eventually, complete a purchase.

Otherwise, the visitor, a potential client, will abandon the website immediately. Statistically, over 50% of mobile users (an ever-growing number compared to desktop users) will leave a web page if it doesn’t fully load within 3 seconds.

Improving your website’s loading speed will decrease the bounce rate

If your site doesn’t have a high loading speed, its visitors will abandon their intention and turn to competing sites. This behavior will generate a very high bounce rate, as well as significantly lower traffic. The conversion rate will drop dramatically, and your earnings will drop too, instead of increasing.

Therefore, page loading speed is a crucial factor in the SEO optimization process and it can even be defining – it can boost your SERPs, but it can also lower them. It can be your ally, but it can also be “fatal”.

How can you improve page loading speed in the rich media era?

Therefore, it’s good to know that, today, the average size of a webpage, so it doesn’t affect page loading speed, is around 4 MB. But how can you maintain this limit when we live in the rich media era, where pages are getting richer in all sorts of content? Here are a few essential tips in this direction:

Image optimization

… Or, in other words, resizing them. The larger they are, the more space they will take up, slowing down the page. It’s recommended to use the JPEG format and to resize or compress images so that they won’t take more than 500 KB each.

Video optimization

Usually, videos will make the page load slower due to the additional HTTP requests. The solution for this is to edit and shorten them so they will limit to the essentials of the presented information. Furthermore, as general advice, it’s best to insert pop-up videos instead of embedded ones.

Web design optimization

Images, CSS, scripts, plugins, apps, and integrated tools – they all involve additional HTTP requests, that could mess up with page loading speed. As a website gets slower and slower, it will not only generate UX problems in the SEO optimization process but technical difficulties as well.

Hemant Kumar

Hemant Kumar is a project manager at Tridindia with more than nine years of commendable experience in writing about LMS, translation, and IT. His unmatched talent and passion for digital marketing gave him the opportunity to work as a multi-tasking project manager at TridIndia’s sister company, Link Building Corp. Today, he contributes to the world by imparting knowledge on SEO, link building and internet marketing etc., that helps business owners grow their online business.