Does your website load slowly? Here’s how it affects your ranking and sales

Why is loading speed key in SEO?

In a digital world where every second counts, a slow website can cost you much more than just the patience of your visitors. Google has confirmed that loading speed is one of the most important ranking factors in its search algorithm.

If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you may lose up to 53% of mobile users, according to Google studies. This not only impacts the user experience (UX), but also directly affects your SEO ranking and your conversions.

slow website

How does a slow website reduce your sales?

Lower retention: visitors leave before engaging with your content or products.
Higher bounce rate: search engines interpret this as a sign of poor quality.
User distrust: a slow site is perceived as unprofessional or unsafe.
Direct loss of conversions: each additional second of load time can decrease conversions by up to 20%.

How to improve your website’s speed

Loading speed is crucial for providing a good user experience, ranking better on Google, and increasing your conversions. Below are five concrete actions you can take to effectively speed up your website:

1. Optimise your images

Images are often the heaviest element on any webpage, accounting for up to 60% of total load time. That’s why it is essential to:

Use modern formats such as WebP, which maintain quality at a lower weight than JPEG or PNG.
Resize images according to their actual use (avoid using large images just to display them small).
Compress images without losing quality using tools like TinyPNG, ImageOptim, or plugins such as Smush.

An optimised image speeds up your site, improves the mobile experience, and contributes positively to your SEO.

2. Minify your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files

Clean, lightweight code allows browsers to process your content faster. To achieve this, you should:

Remove unnecessary spaces, lines, and comments in code files.
Use tools like Minify or UglifyJS to automate the process.
If you use WordPress, you can install plugins such as Autoptimize or LiteSpeed Cache.

This type of optimisation can significantly reduce your site’s overall weight without affecting its functionality.

3. Enable browser caching

Caching allows static elements (such as logos, fonts, or styles) to be stored in the user’s browser so they don’t need to be re-downloaded with each visit. This results in faster load times and a smoother experience.

You can enable caching through the .htaccess file, server settings, or plugins like W3 Total Cache.

slow website

4. Enable GZIP or Brotli compression

Activating compression on your server reduces the size of files sent to the user’s browser. With GZIP or Brotli, you can decrease your site’s weight by up to 70%, speeding up load times without affecting visible content.

This option is configured at the web server level (such as Apache or NGINX) or through plugins on platforms like WordPress.

5. Choose a fast and reliable hosting provider

Your hosting provider has a direct impact on your site’s speed. A slow or overloaded server can ruin any other optimisation you’ve made. Make sure your hosting service offers:

Good response time (ideally under 200 ms).
Scalable or dedicated resources, especially if your site has high traffic.
Support for CDNs (Content Delivery Networks), which reduce the distance between the server and the end user.

If you are currently on shared hosting and experiencing slowness, consider moving to options like VPS, dedicated servers, or premium platforms such as SiteGround, Kinsta, or Cloudways.

Tools to measure your speed

Before optimising, it is essential to diagnose the actual state of your site. These tools provide accurate data and specific recommendations: