Ever wondered why some folks are obsessed with how fast your website loads? Let’s cut through the tech talk and get to the point.

Yes, Speed Matters…But Don’t Obsess

Google cares about how fast your website loads because they want users to have a good experience. But here’s the kicker: faster page load speed doesn’t automatically mean a higher Google ranking. It’s just one factor among many.

The Minimum Requirement Rule

Google uses page load speed more like a “you must be this tall to ride” sign at an amusement park. Your site needs to be fast enough to meet their basic standards. Once you’re over that threshold, other factors come into play. So yes, if you’re under the threshold, you’re banned from the ride. But taller people don’t have more fun on the ride than average height people, do they?

Don’t Let Those Free Tools Scare You

Ever run your site through a free speed test tool and felt like a failure? Relax. Even big players like CNN and Amazon get told they’re too slow. These tools often set unrealistic goals in order to ensure a poor result. Why would they want a poor result? No one spends time and money on a tool and then gives it away for purely altruistic reasons so you can be assured there’s a sales pitch behind that tool. We’ve gone into detail about what a scam these tools tend to be. So, take their results with a grain of salt. Verify for yourself if your site is genuinely slow in comparison to some of your competitors’ sites.

What Google Says

Curious about the details? Google provides lots of nitty-gritty detail with hard numbers on their developer site.  This is another detailed resource from the horse’s mouth. Ultimately, they continue to say that relevance is the most important factor. In short, page load speed only comes into play if it negatively impacts user experience. So, in other words, if you’re not tall enough to get on the ride.

Myth Busted!

Keep your site reasonably fast to keep Google happy and your users satisfied. But remember, speed is just one piece of the puzzle. Focus on providing great content and a solid user experience.

So, don’t lose sleep over speed scores. Make sure your site isn’t painfully slow, then focus on the bigger picture.