As a small business owner, you know that growing your company takes time. However, your website’s speed and performance shouldn’t take any time at all. Clients need instant solutions, which can be challenging when you’re already busy building brand awareness and forging strong customer relationships.
Is your website effectively showcasing your brand’s unique selling points? If there’s something that sets you apart from other businesses, does your site load the related images quickly enough to tell your customers that story? Improving your website’s efficiency optimizes your online presence, increases customer engagement, and elevates the entire user experience.
Increasing Speed and Performance Leads to Higher Rankings
Search engines like Google aim to provide users with the best possible experience. Their ranking systems prioritize the most relevant web pages based on searches, helping users find the information or services they need quickly.
With so many companies offering landing pages, blog posts, and other online resources, having a fast, user-friendly website is crucial. Whether someone is looking up how to stop a leaky faucet or searching for a local plumber, search engines will highlight local businesses with optimized, speedy websites.
One of the classic SEO ranking factors that Google’s algorithm considers is your web page’s load speed and overall performance. To rank high on search results, your page should load in under three seconds.
Website Efficiency Woos Potential Customers
Once potential customers find your page, what’s next?
Your site’s speed and performance are critical for several reasons:
Reducing Bounce Rates
Statistics show that if a page takes more than five seconds to load, about 28% of viewers will hit the back button and return to the search results page, often looking for local competitors. Waiting six seconds or more drives away 26% of users, increasing bounce rates and causing your search ranking to drop.
In today’s digital age, attention spans are shorter, so waiting more than a few seconds leads to user dissatisfaction.
Increasing Engagement and Making Sales
Since speed affects user experience, a fast load time allows users more time to engage with your brand’s content. Ensuring an optimal environment with faster website speed and performance positively impacts conversion rates. From making a purchase to signing up for an email newsletter, faster-loading content is more engaging and easier to navigate.
The Final Word for Your Small Business Website
So, how is your small business doing in the race to the top of the search results? If you want a spot on the podium, it’s time to prioritize your website’s speed and performance.