Internal studies by Google prove that Internet users leave a website more quickly if it loads slowly and that users are generally annoyed if they have to wait for content to be displayed. So it is no wonder that loading speed affects pagerank. A fast loading website is also advantageous for website operators as it reduces operating costs.
Webmasters can find out the speed of a website with various tools:
- PageSpeed is an Open Source Firefox/Firebug plug-in which reports loading speeds and offers suggestions for improvement
- YSlow is a free tool from Yahoo! for checking loading speeds
- WebPagetest gives a waterfall display of website loading performance and shows optimisation suggestions
These tools are principally created for experts, so why not let us help you? We are happy to check the loading speed of your website and optimise it for you accordingly.
Currently, speed as a ranking criterion is only active for English speaking users of google.com. However, it won’t be long before Google applies the criterion across the board. It represents an important step in the right direction for Google: professional websites should aim for good performance as part of user-friendliness and provide the user with a smooth search experience. Website providers which take this on board can then enjoy the well-deserved, improved pageranking.
How can you achieve faster loading on a website?
It is not the programming which is pivotal for the loading speed of your website, but rather professional hosting. Search engine relevant websites should never be operated by so-called cheap hosts which store hundreds of websites. This has a negative effect on the performance of individual web presences, as the server has to simultaneously respond to a flood of queries.
Instead, it is wise to take up the offer of professional hosts, such as AMYMA. We keep our servers up to date with the latest technology and run them exclusively in European data centres, to ensure the shortest communication paths , guaranteeing fast loading times and optimal performance.