What is page speed?
SEO Definition and Examples
Page speed is how fast a page loads for a real visitor. Faster pages rank higher in Google, keep users engaged and have a noticeably lower bounce rate.
Full Definition: What is page speed
Page speed is the metric that measures how fast a page loads. Measurement methods: (1) PageSpeed Insights (a Google tool); (2) GTmetrix; (3) Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools). Loading benchmark: <2s = excellent, 2-3s = good, 3-5s = average, >5s = poor. Slow speed = high bounce rate. For example: each extra second of load = a 7% loss in conversions. For sales: a page that loads in 1s vs. 3s = a 15-20% difference in revenue.
Why Does Page Speed Matter for SEO?
Users skip slow pages. Google penalizes slow pages in ranking. Page speed has been an official ranking factor for mobile and desktop search since 2021.
Source: Google PageSpeed InsightsFrequently Asked Questions about Page Speed
Related Terms
Technical SEO
AdvancedTechnical SEO covers your site's infrastructure — crawlability, indexing, loading speed, HTTPS and data structure — that lets Google find and understand pages.
Core Web Vitals
AdvancedCore Web Vitals are 3 technical Google metrics — LCP, INP and CLS — that measure page user experience and have been official ranking factors since 2021.
Mobile Optimization
BeginnerMobile optimization is adapting a site for mobile. Google ranks "mobile-first" — pages not optimized for mobile rank poorly.
Schema Markup (Structured Data)
AdvancedSchema markup is structured data in JSON-LD format added to a page's HTML that helps Google and LLMs understand the context and type of the content.
Put Page Speed into practice
Explore how to apply this concept to your industry and city.
