If you are just about to set up your site, you will be told that you need to use the right keywords and add content regularly. However, not many people will tell you about the importance of website loading speed. In recent years, it has become one of the main ranking factors of search engines, and you might inconvenience your visitors if your site is slow to load. Below you will find a few reasons why you should pay attention to your website’s speed.
User Experience
Users today don’t want to wait around. With the increased use of mobile devices to shop and browse the internet, you will need to accommodate those people who are using their mobile internet that is slow in some areas. Make sure that you test your site on various devices and connections, so you can help your visitors find what they are looking for, or they will turn back and never return.
Bounce Rate
You will also have to consider your bounce rate. The slower your site loads the more likely your visitors are going to to turn around, and you will lose your search engine rankings. If people find your site through search engines, they will simply hit the “back” button and click on the next result. You will, in turn, have a lower ranking due to the high bounce rate, as search engines will believe that your pages are not relevant to the search queries.
Server Use
It is also important that you choose the right server that can accommodate your databases and plugins. Check out affordable packages with Certa Hosting, so you can make sure that your server can handle the traffic search engines and referring sites send your site’s way.
Security
If your site crashes or is slow to load, people are not likely to trust it. Some of the SSL certificates will slow down your page, so make sure that your software are compatible with each other. If your site comes up with an error message, chances are that you will have security loopholes that can impact your users’ experience. Make sure that all your scripts and plugins are compatible with each other to improve your site’s security and speed.
Search Ranking
Your search engine ranking is affected by your bounce rate, your site errors, and your page speed. Therefore, if you neglect any of these areas, you will lose valuable free traffic. It is important that you give your website an overhaul, update your themes and plugins, and look out for error pages. There are some advanced software that will automatically redirect your 404 pages to your main site or a specific post, so you can improve your visitors’ online experience.
If you are looking to get more organic traffic to your site, you will have to focus on visitor experience and page speed. Chances are that you have too many software installed, or you are using a slow server. Regularly test your site for errors, and update your software and plugins to make sure they are working seamlessly.