Search Ranking Speed Factors

It was recently announced by Google that they are planning to identify and label websites that are slow to load through a badging or labelling system on Chrome. Google are currently working on several “speed badging” systems that will let visitors know why a page is taking a long time to load. This could be in the form of a text warning e.g. “usually loads slow” or a symbol that indicates the site takes a while to load.

We all know how frustrating it can be when you have to wait a long time for a website to load. Google are also aware of this frustration and want to help indicate to users which sites are slow to help improve their online experience. Speed is one of Google’s core principles which is why they constantly work on ways to improve this.

It is currently unknown how slow websites will be labelled. It is to be expected that a lot of testing and experimenting will be done before the best option is discovered that visitors receive the most value from.

If the identifying system takes place, it could indicate to users before they click on a link whether it will be slow or not, which in turn could affect the decision of whether or not they want to click the link anymore. This could heavily impact the traffic on sites that are currently extremely slow.

The long-term goal of Google is to also highlight those websites that are quick to load and offer a high-quality experience. This will be based on the website’s speed but also on other determining factors which are currently unknown.

Although they are still working on a plan which will inevitably evolve and adapt over time, it is never too early to think about optimising your website. Ensuring your site is as quick as possible and offers an efficient and great customer experience will not only benefit you now but will also benefit you when the labelling system from Google Chrome arrives.

If you would like any advice on how you can improve the speed of your website, then the DBS Web Development team are here to help. Give us a call on 01522 811688.