How does website speed boost search engine optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website’s content and user experience to improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive more traffic to the website. Website speed is an important factor in SEO, as Google has made it clear that slow-loading sites negatively impact the user experience, and will therefore rank lower in search results. While Google does not reveal the exact weight given to site speed in its ranking algorithms, its own research has shown that over half of mobile users will abandon a site that takes longer than three seconds to load. Improving other aspects of SEO involves various tactics, including content quality, on-page factors, off-page factors, and user experience.

When a user performs a search, the search engine generates a list of websites in order of relevance and authority. Most users do not go beyond the first page of search results, so the goal of SEO is to get a website into the top 10 results. A few factors impact whether a site appears in that coveted first page of results. Content quality involves using keyword research to ensure that topics and search terms are worth pursuing, and creating content that matches user intent. On-page factors include using clear titles, section headers, and descriptive file names to make it easy for search engines to understand what a webpage is about. Off-page factors include the amount of external links a website has, which indicates that the content is valuable. User experience is also crucial, as slow-loading pages can result in lost revenue, particularly for ecommerce sites.

SEO is important because it helps companies establish their authority in their industry and is a free marketing tactic. While it may require time and effort to optimize a website’s content and user experience, the traffic gained through SEO is organic and does not require paid advertising. By using simple tactics like organization through headers and utilizing alt text, a website can rise through the search results and earn significantly more traffic and revenue. 

Looking to learn more? We suggest heading over to Cloudflare’s Learning Center for an in-depth look at the importance of site speed and SEO.