Site speed plays a major role in digital marketing campaign performance

July 3, 2017 – By Aaron Hockel

What is Google’s Site Speed Testing Tool?

Google’s site speed testing tool is a free application offered by think with Google that makes it easy to test page load speeds for your website and landing pages. Studies by Google show that more than 50% of people expect a website to load in less than 2 seconds and page load speeds are a major reason sites lose both organic and paid traffic. Beyond the loss of traffic, page load speeds also play a key role in determining Google AdWords Quality Scores and overall PPC campaign performance.

How Do I Use Google’s Site Speed Testing Tool?

Ready to test your site? It is incredibly easy to use Google’s Site Speed Testing tool. Just click here to access it, enter your website or landing page domain, and hit go. The test takes less than a minute and analyzes your mobile and desktop site speed. The immediate results show your page’s load time, estimated visitor loss, and let you claim your free report.
 
 

What Do Google’s Site Speed Testing Tool Results Mean?

On the surface level, the test results are very easy to understand and interpret. Your site speed is rated using Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor and is ranked against your industry counterparts to determine how much traffic you are losing. The results, however, include significantly more information, especially for sites with poor scores who are looking to improve. Clicking further into the report, Google will give you its top 3 suggestions for improving your site speed and the free report they offer contains detailed information on how to improve your site speed.

How Do I Make The Recommended Improvements?

If the suggested improvements don’t make any sense , don’t worry, you are not alone. Making the recommended changes typically requires a basic to intermediate level understanding of website development and they almost always require programming changes. Thankfully, Google makes it easy to share this information with your website developer. Just click the “Get My Free Report” button and you can easily send a copy of the results and recommended changes to anyone by entering their email address.

Aaron Hockel

Aaron Hockel is a Partner and the VP of Digital Marketing at AltaVista Strategic Partners. A University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) alumnus, Aaron expertly crafts digital marketing strategies that drive success for clients, leveraging his deep industry knowledge and innovative approach.