Dog Doesn’t Want to Leave
Last Updated: September 27, 2024
The Truth About Your PageSpeed Insight Scores
Last Updated: September 27, 2024
So, you’ve just run your website through Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, and you’re staring at that performance score like it’s the end of the world. Maybe you got a 32 on mobile and are now convinced your business is doomed unless you hit that elusive 100. Hold on a second—before you start throwing money at your site like confetti at a parade, let’s take a deep breath and talk about what that number actually means.
The Google Doctor Is In—But You Might Be Misdiagnosing Your Website
Imagine this: You have a weird pain in your side, so you do what we all do (even though we know we shouldn’t)—you Google your symptoms. After a few clicks, you’re convinced that you have a rare tropical disease. You march into your doctor’s office and start telling them exactly what’s wrong with you. Now, unless your doctor is a saint with infinite patience, they might gently remind you that they have years of training and experience that Google simply can’t replace.
The same thing happens when people look at their PageSpeed Insights score. They see a number and think they know exactly what’s wrong with their site. But interpreting that number correctly takes expertise. Without it, you might end up chasing your tail—or worse, wasting a ton of money on something that won’t actually help your website perform better where it counts.
Spoiler Alert: Literally No One Gets a Perfect Score
Let’s get one thing straight: that perfect 100 on your PageSpeed score? It’s like trying to catch a rainbow—beautiful, but impossible to grab. In fact, even Google.com, the very company that created the tool, doesn’t score a 100. Their site sits at a “meh” 70. YouTube, another Google property, only gets a 35. Yep, you read that right—just 35! And guess what? YouTube is doing just fine, thank you very much.
Here are some other examples that might surprise you:
- Google.com: 70
- Amazon.com: 49
- Hulu.com: 36
- YouTube.com: 35
- Yelp.com: 31
- Walmart.com: 30
If Walmart is rocking a 30 and still getting millions of visitors a day, your score of 32 isn’t the disaster you think it is.
PageSpeed Scores: It’s Not a Race, It’s a Threshold
A lot of people come to us in a panic, demanding that their mobile performance score needs to improve because they’re convinced it’s hurting their search rankings. They think that the faster their page loads, the better their ranking will be. But here’s the deal: page load speed is more of a binary checkpoint for search engines. As long as your site loads quickly enough to meet the minimum requirements, you’re good to go. Whether you exceed those requirements by a little or a lot doesn’t make a difference to the algorithm.
Yes, faster load times can improve the experience for your human visitors, which is always a good thing. The faster your visitors can get the information they need, the happier they’ll be. But when it comes to how Google ranks your site, once you cross that speed threshold, you’re on level ground with everyone else.
The Takeaway: Don’t Obsess Over the Numbers
PageSpeed Insights can give you useful information, but without the background to interpret that data correctly, you might end up drawing some very wrong conclusions. Your website’s performance isn’t about chasing a perfect score—it’s about making sure your site meets the needs of both your visitors and search engines. And sometimes, that means letting go of the idea that a higher score is always better.
So, the next time you see that less-than-stellar PageSpeed score, remember: it’s not the end of the world. Trust the experts, focus on the user experience, and stop trying to chase that impossible 100. Your website—and your wallet—will thank you.
Clumsy Malamute Puppies Falling
Last Updated: September 27, 2024
Scam Watch: Pricey Google Business Profile Scams
Last Updated: September 27, 2024
Welcome to the first installment of our new series, Scam Watch, where we expose the tricks and traps that shady marketers use to swindle small businesses. Today, we’re diving into a particularly sneaky scam that’s been making the rounds: dishonest marketers claiming that your Google Business Profile (GBP) isn’t free and charging exorbitant fees to set it up. Spoiler alert: they’re lying!
The Truth About Google Business Profiles
Let’s set the record straight: Google Business Profiles are 100% free to create and belong to you, the business owner. If someone is telling you otherwise, they’re either misinformed or outright trying to scam you.
Your Google Business Profile is your digital storefront on Google. It’s one of the key ways customers find you when they search for the services you offer, and it provides essential information like your business hours, location, and reviews. But here’s the kicker—you do not need to pay anyone to claim or create your profile.
Following the Rules Is Key—And There’s a Lot of Them
While creating a GBP is free, Google imposes many rules you’ll need to follow. Ignoring these rules can result in your profile being suspended or even removed. Here are a few common pitfalls:
- Keyword Usage: Adding unnecessary keywords in your business name, description, or elsewhere in an attempt to rank higher.
- Address Type Selection: Choosing the wrong location setting. Not all businesses are eligible for GBPs, and those that are still have to ensure they pick either the location-based or service-area-based address options.
- Category Selection: Selecting categories that don’t accurately represent your business can mislead customers and negatively impact your visibility.
- Disallowed Claims: Making disallowed claims about your products or services can get you flagged by Google.
The Legitimate Service of GBP Setup
Now, just because you can create your GBP for free doesn’t mean everyone has the time or expertise to do it right. If you get it wrong and have to appeal the decision (possibly multiple times), you’ll find that this seemingly simple task is taking up hours of your time. That’s where legitimate marketing services come into play. There’s definitely an art to setting up a GBP that ranks well in search results and converts casual browsers into paying customers. This involves careful category selection, thoughtful content optimization, and the strategic application of marketing principles.
So, it’s reasonable to pay someone to handle this for you. But—and this is a big but—you shouldn’t be paying an arm and a leg for it.
What Should You Really Be Paying?
To give you some perspective, setting up and optimizing a GBP typically takes a competent marketer about an hour. This includes filling out the profile, optimizing content, ensuring everything complies with Google’s guidelines, and communicating with you, the client, throughout the process.
For this service, a fair price range is $200 to $300. For example, here at Prospect Genius, we charge $199 for this service—very reasonable considering the expertise and time involved. Paying $1,000 or more, though? That’s just someone trying to rip you off.
Bottom Line
Your Google Business Profile is a powerful tool for reaching customers, and it’s completely free to set up. While there’s value in paying a professional to optimize it for you, be wary of anyone who tries to convince you that you need to pay Google for the privilege or charges you outrageous fees to get it done. Stick to the facts, know the fair price, and keep your money in your pocket—not in the hands of a scammer.
Stay tuned for the next edition of Scam Watch, where we’ll continue to shine a light on the dark corners of the marketing world!
Cats Get Brain-Freeze
Last Updated: September 27, 2024
