In today’s internet world, website loading speed becomes a critical element in user experience and business success. Google PageSpeed Insights is one of the most widely used free tools to evaluate and improve website performance. But does this tool really deliver the desired results? In this article, I will share my personal experience with Google PageSpeed Insights when I tested a poorly performing website, and I will discuss how to leverage its recommendations to improve website speed. I also conducted an interview with Tom Shapiro, the CEO of Stratabeat, to gain additional insights on how to use this effective tool. Read on to discover how to enhance your website’s speed using Google PageSpeed Insights.
What is Google PageSpeed Insights?
Google PageSpeed Insights is a free tool used to easily analyze the performance of any website by entering the website’s URL. This tool measures the page loading speed and provides detailed suggestions to make it faster. Reports from Google PageSpeed Insights are presented in two categories: page loading speed on mobile devices (the “mobile” score) and loading speed on desktop computers (the “desktop” score). The tool’s reports include a list of suggestions to improve website performance, which include optimizing images, improving web server response time, utilizing browser caching, and reducing the size of CSS/JavaScript files.
The role of Google PageSpeed Insights is evident in helping improve website performance and its ability to load faster for users. When the recommendations provided by the tool are implemented, website performance can be significantly enhanced, making the user experience smoother and quicker. This is crucial, especially in today’s internet world where visitors quickly check multiple sites, and if your site is slow, they may move on to another less costly site.
What is a good score on Google PageSpeed?
According to Google’s official documentation, a “good” score is 90 and above. However, this result represents an unrealistic goal for many sites. Tom Shapiro, CEO of Stratabeat, presents different recommendations, suggesting targeting scores ranging from 50 to 60 and above for mobile devices, and 90 to 95 or more for desktops. The importance of the mobile score is significant, as Google’s ranking algorithm primarily relies on the mobile version of the site. Therefore, this score should be above 50.
Why is it acceptable to have a lower PSI score on mobile compared to desktop? Shapiro explains that loading on mobile devices typically takes longer due to connectivity challenges, as most users are using a slower internet network compared to what they use on their desktop devices. One can strive to improve the score, but achieving a perfect score of 100 is certainly very difficult. Throughout his years of work, Shapiro has never seen this score, but he has achieved results close to it, with some of the sites he created reaching 99.
How to use Google PageSpeed Insights to test and improve website speed
Using Google PageSpeed Insights is simple and free. However, despite diagnosing issues and providing suggestions, it does not carry out any of the actual work. Users must make the necessary changes themselves to improve their page performance. Shapiro’s advice in this context is that the tool is not 100% accurate, but it provides an excellent guide for improving the website, and it should be adopted as a directional tool rather than a definitive reference.
To better understand how the tool works, I used it on my own blog, which I had neglected for a while. I began by entering the blog’s URL and clicking on “Analyze.” The tool took a few seconds to provide me with a comprehensive report that included data and suggestions for improvement. The process can take a few seconds to a minute depending on the size of the site. After the analysis was complete, I received a report showing my blog’s performance in two categories: mobile and desktop. The tool provides scores that range from 0 to 100 (the higher the score, the better the performance).
Using
Google PageSpeed Insights provides a variety of metrics to measure website performance, among which the most important metrics are “First Contentful Paint” and “Speed Index” and “time to interactive. Each metric reflects a different aspect of site performance and shows how to improve each aspect by following the recommendations provided. To do this, users must first analyze the initial results and then implement the recommendations provided to make actual improvements to the site.
Alternatives to Google PageSpeed Insights and Other Tips
Although Google PageSpeed Insights is an effective tool, there are also other alternatives that can be used to analyze website performance. Among these alternatives, tools like GTmetrix and Pingdom can be used, which provide comprehensive insights into loading speed and site performance. These tools also offer detailed reports with suggestions for improvement, which can help developers and website managers take effective steps to enhance speeds.
In addition to choosing the right tool, there are some tips that can generally enhance website performance. First, it is important to ensure images are optimized before uploading them to the site, as uncompressed images are a common cause of slow page loading. Second, implementing proper caching policies can reduce the number of requests the browser needs to send when loading the page, significantly improving response time. Also, ensuring the use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can enhance content loading performance in different geographical locations.
Test Your Site’s Speed Using This Tool from Google — But Don’t Stop There
It is important to use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze and study your site’s performance, but one should not stop there. After implementing the suggestions provided by the tool, it is essential to continuously monitor the analytics and test site speed periodically to ensure that the site continues to comply with best practices. Over time, one can compare results and ensure that any new updates or changes in content do not negatively impact performance.
Optimizing a website for both algorithms and users is a dynamic process that continues over time. While Google PageSpeed Insights provides valuable analytical insights, the ability to implement these suggestions and continuously monitor site performance is crucial for achieving actual and sustainable success in this field. Experimentation and improvement should continue, as the internet landscape is constantly changing, requiring site owners to stay updated with the latest technologies and tools to ensure speed performance and enhance user experience.
Improving Site Performance Using Speed Measurement Tools
Website speed measurement tools are among the most important tools that help site owners improve performance. One of the most notable of these tools is Google PageSpeed Insights, which provides detailed reports on page loading speeds. After using this tool, I noticed a significant improvement in server response speed, with response time dropping from 1300 milliseconds to just 40 milliseconds. This improvement is due to simple settings I implemented based on the tool’s suggestions. For example, I used Ezoic Cloud Caching, which is an easy option to activate and set up, positively impacting the overall speed of the site.
Google PageSpeed Insights also provides guidance on how to improve site performance, such as optimizing themes and plugins used. When communicating with web hosting support, I discovered that I was using an inexpensive hosting plan based on shared servers, which exposed me to some performance limitations. However, thanks to the various improvements I made using speed optimization tools, I have not felt the need to upgrade to a better plan so far.
Tools
Alternative for Website Speed Analysis
Although Google PageSpeed Insights is a great tool, the reports it provides can be confusing. For this reason, I tried HubSpot’s Website Grader, which relies on Google Lighthouse. This tool provides faster and clearer reports compared to PageSpeed Insights, making it an ideal choice for users looking for a quick and easy analysis. One of the best features of Website Grader is the next steps section, which guides you on how to improve performance directly.
The reports also appear more visually appealing and entertaining, making them less boring to read. Tools like Pingdom and WP Rocket are also considered useful options for analyzing website performance. Pingdom provides detailed insights into page load times, while WP Rocket enhances page loading speeds in multiple ways, including optimizing CSS and JavaScript files. Therefore, it is important to explore different tools and choose the most suitable ones according to the website’s needs.
Tips for Improving Page Load Speed
To achieve the best performance for your website, there is a set of tips that can help in improving page load speed. Reducing image sizes is essential; large images consume more data, causing delays in page loading. Using free compression tools like TinyJPG can significantly assist in this.
Moreover, minimizing CSS and JavaScript files is also important, as this reduces their size, which speeds up load time. Furthermore, leveraging browser caching can help speed up page loading by storing files locally so they don’t need to be downloaded on each visit by visitors. It is also important to enable content compression, as this helps reduce the amount of data transferred from the server, leading to faster load times.
Since many visitors prefer browsing on mobile devices, it is crucial to ensure that web pages are optimized to be responsive on mobile devices. Non-responsive sites can lead to increased page load times, negatively affecting user experience. To this end, it’s important to conduct regular tests on the speed and efficiency of the site to ensure that the desired performance is consistently achieved.
The Importance of Continuous Analysis and Supporting Tools
Even after using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, it’s essential to perform regular analyses of website performance to ensure speed is maintained. Conditions can change, such as the introduction of new features in the themes used or updates to plugins, which can impact website performance. This is why relying on several tools and different strategies to enhance performance is crucial.
One of the tools recommended by experts is WP Rocket, which is considered a Swiss army knife for website performance. With its multiple mechanisms, it can provide significant improvements in load speed. Pingdom is also a valuable performance analysis tool, providing accurate information on load levels.
Using a variety of tools, one can improve performance in multiple ways. However, it remains up to the user to effectively apply all the recommendations provided by various tools, in addition to the necessity of regularly testing website speed. Any new techniques or changes implemented need to be monitored to ensure they achieve the desired goal. Continuous analysis and a constant pursuit of performance improvement ensure that the site remains attractive and fast for all visitors.
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