Have you ever clicked on a website in Google Search only for the load time to drag on for infinity? Perhaps you even checked your WiFi connection for a potential problem or reloaded the webpage. What did you do when your efforts didn’t quicken the process?
You clicked away and tried a different link. Slow site speed negatively influences the user experience. It also causes the site’s search engine ranking to fall significantly. Fence Marketing Pros has diverse experiences in improving fence company SEO. Their team published the guide below to help you understand why site speed is important and how to overcome the slow speeds.
What Is Site Speed?
A website’s speed is equivalent to its overall performance. It refers to how quickly all site elements load when visitors click a link. Various factors impact your website speed, including:
- The content format: Do you use images, text, and videos on your fence company’s website? These are examples of media or content formats. Text is a lighter element than images. Videos are often heavier than the others.
- The content’s weight: Each media format has a different weight. The media integrated on a page impacts overall page weight. Heavier pages take longer to load.
- All additional apps or widgets connected to the site: You might install tools or widgets to help visitors accomplish desired actions. However, certain applications may affect the site’s speed.
- The page layout: Awkward site codes and clunky templates can also slow your site’s performance.
- Server locations: Stay mindful of your server and host locations. An image hosting site in Washington and a code host on the East Coast will impede loading times.
- Network conditions: Changing your page weight and site servers won’t improve bad network signals. However, a skilled web developer may find a solution to this issue.
Are Site Speed and Page Speed the Same?
You might read or hear content referring to website speed and page speed. While they are similar, they have some differences. Website speed refers to the speed at which your whole website loads.
As a visitor navigates to your fencing website from their search results, they wait for the entire website to load on their device. Then, they may click on a menu option to explore your services. The loading time a page needs to appear from an internal link is the page speed.
Various elements affect overall page speed measurement, including:
- First contentful paint: The media or file that fully loads first is the first content. FCP refers to the time that the file needs to fully load.
- Time to first byte: A byte is a data measurement. TTFB indicates how quickly the first byte loads on your website. This measurement helps developers determine server and host performance.
- Time to interact: Visitors interact with elements like the navigation menu, calls to action, and links. TTI determines how long each interactive element takes to load.
- Load time: The time required for all page elements to load cohesively is the load time.
Ensure your website and connected pages load quickly on all devices, especially mobile ones.
Why Site Speed Is Important for Fence Companies
If you worked hard to design your website, you may hesitate to change anything. After all, you carefully selected quality media and applications to accommodate various functions on your fence company’s website. A few seconds shouldn’t impact its overall relevance and performance, right?
Even just a few seconds can significantly increase a page’s bounce rate. A bounce happens when a visitor clicks a link but quickly navigates away from the site. Google found that bounce rates increase when load times exceed one second. Are there other reasons why site speed is important?
Slow site speed costs more than a few potential customers. The digital brand you built for your fencing company might also suffer:
- Lower search engine rankings: Search engines identify sites that quickly lose visitors, placing them lower in result pages.
- Lost conversions: A slow website already loses conversions when visitors bounce. The conversion rate continues sinking as the site ranks lower in searches.
- Subpar user-friendliness: Consider your potential customer’s experience. They want an interface that makes their life easier. Slow loading times increase their shopping difficulty.
Creating an optimal experience is one of many SEO best practices. You need a lightweight and nimble website to improve ranking and conversion rates while providing a user-friendly experience.
How Fast Should Your Site Load?
Most websites should load within two seconds or less. However, load times often depend on the individual page’s purpose. For example, your fencing company’s website features a typical site navigation with a customer portal for monthly service payments or warranty requests.
The website’s front-facing pages should stay within the two-second loading limit. Implement lightweight media with as few widgets as possible. Your customer portal will naturally have more widgets and tools implemented into its interface.
Therefore, it will take longer to load. Although you should still make the interface as lightweight as possible, the portal and its necessary elements ultimately simplify the overall customer experience, and it doesn’t introduce visitors to your overall digital presence. The portal’s load speed isn’t as influential as your website’s speed.
How to Test Your Fence Company’s Site Speed
You can test your website speed through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. Copy and paste your URL into the input field, and click the “Analyze” button. It will determine whether your site passed the speed test.
Use the results to determine the best course of action. All yellow grades need work, while red highlights indicate unsatisfactory page weight. A qualified marketing company can help you better understand the results and implement strategies to improve your website speed.
Do You Have a Need for Speed? Contact Fence Marketing Pros
After learning why site speed is important, you might have concerns about your fence company’s site speed results. The team at Fence Marketing Pros can find a solution. Reach out to discover more SEO avenues and content marketing tips to improve your brand’s bottom line. Contact them online to schedule a call today.
