Have you ever wondered how long a visitor waits for your website to load?
Well, the answer might surprise you. In fact, it will downright disappoint you. According to statistics, the typical visitor waits less than two seconds for a site to load. That means you’re losing out on a prospective customer just because you were a second slower than your competitor.
How fast your website can load is important, and that’s why you need to conduct a website speed test periodically. But, before we go into the benefits of website speed testing, let’s look at why website speed is of critical importance.
Website speed has that “First Impression” factor
We’ve all heard how first impressions are the best impressions. Well, for websites, it’s the load speed that makes the first impression. It has an impact on the way customers perceive you, especially in terms of whether you’re reliable or trustworthy.
When your website loads fast, you’ve succeeded in making that first impression. It’s an instant win; one that opens up several new doors to new opportunities. It tells the prospective customer that you’ve put in the effort to make things easy for him/her.
More importantly, it allows the customer to access information faster, which can positively influence his/her buying decision.
Speed, in such matters, is associated with efficiency, reliability, and trust. It’s just pure psychology.
On the other hand, a slow website tells the prospective customer that you’re unprofessional and maybe even unreliable. That’s an impression that you do not want to make because coming back from that is next to impossible.
To give you a better idea, surveys have shown that 79% of online shoppers refuse to go back to a site if it is consistently slow. What this means is that you don’t get a second chance from almost 80% of your customers if your site is slow.
Customers expect speed
The need for speed on the internet today is much greater than it used to be. You see, people have 4G and fiber-optic broadband connections that promise excellent speeds. So, if you aren’t keeping up, it’s completely your fault.
Online users demand speed, and you’re obligated to satisfy that demand. If you don’t, someone else will.
Let’s look at the numbers.
- 47% of visitors expect your site to load in less than two seconds.
- 40% of them will quit altogether if it takes more than three seconds.
Mobile users are a bit more flexible but by a very thin margin.
- 85% of mobile users expect the mobile version of a site to load faster than the desktop version.
So, as you can see, expectations for speed are at an all-time high.
SMBs and startups need to be faster
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that people are looking for top-notch load speeds when opening websites. You see, they want quick answers to certain questions and queries. Immediate results are part of the culture today. Patience is no more a virtue, at least where trade and business are concerned.
Now, an interesting fact is that SMBs and startups have a greater obligation to meet speed demands compared to established businesses. You see, big brands are big brands. They’ve already made their mark. So, customers don’t mind waiting a few extra seconds for their websites to load.
However, with smaller brands, that’s not the case. You have to make a good impression instantly.
It’s time for a website speed test
So, as you can see, there is no way out of this – you have to ensure that your website is always quick on the uptake. That’s where a timely website speed test or website load test can come in handy. There are several benefits to having a website speed test conducted.
Firstly, you can maintain your search rankings. Search engines like Google show favor to sites that load faster than others. In fact, page load speed is factored into Google’s organic search algorithms.
If you start to observe a reduction in your website’s placement in the search results, it could mean that your load speed isn’t up to the mark. In order to check how slow your site has become, you can leverage applications like the Google Page Speed platform to check your load speed.
Apart from that, a website load test can also help identify improvement areas. For instance, you may be able to identify bottlenecks and put an end to them. More often than not, even the slightest changes in the front and back-end can help with website speed optimization.
This can be something as simple as converting images to a more suitable format or hosting custom fonts on a platform other than your local server, such as the Google content delivery network.
A website speed test can also help prevent you from sabotaging your conversion rates. As stated earlier, website load speed has an influence on user experience. In a study conducted by KISSMetrics, even a delay of a second in load speed can lead to a reduction in conversion rates by 7%. The same effect was observed for lead generation and traffic.
WEBSITE SPEED TEST – DEFINITION & WHY YOU NEED IT
Imagine the cumulative effect of this in the long run?
Yup, it’s not a pretty picture.
So, don’t take a risk. The online business landscape is a battlefield, and a simple website speed test may be all you need to win. Contact Us at The Converted Click for the ultimate Website Speed Optimization solutions!
