No matter if you want to see an upswing in the amount of people buying items on your web store or a greater number of individuals using your software-as-a-service, the very first thing you should examine is how quickly your website loads.
What would be the best place to begin when optimizing the performance of a website? The most effective initial move is becoming acquainted with all the diverse website performance measurements. It can provide you with a impartial view of whether your website is functioning correctly and steps to better it.
This piece will go over the most crucial instruments that aid you in gauging the efficiency of your website or program, as well as include some advice on how to augment it.
The availability of broadband fiber optic Internet has resulted in much quicker internet speeds for people around the world, even in smaller cities and places of residence. In 2008, only 16 percent of Americans had access to 10 Mbps Internet service. Currently, 95% of people have access to internet speeds surpassing 1 gigabit, a number that is only increasing as the introduction of 5G technology advances.
What connection does website performance have with this?
Back when dial-up modems were the norm, people were accustomed to waiting while webpages loaded. At present, there is no room for tarrying and only a moment of lag time can bring about the loss of millions of dollars in potential profits and quickly turn away guests.
This problem is not simple to get around – if you do not take measures to optimize your site, it will have a significant detrimental effect on your company.
What is website performance?
Web performance refers to all the different strategies and modifications that make webpages load quickly, including making lethargic procedures appear to be prompt. This has a direct connection to Web Performance Enhancement (WPO) which is aimed at ensuring that users have the most positive online experience possible.
It is notable that the terms server performance and website performance are not synonymous; rather, there is a distinct disparity between the two. The time it takes for a response to an HTTP request can be gauged by the performance of a server. The amount of time it takes for the web page to appear on the user’s web browser is referred to as website performance.
What is page speed?
The amount of time for a webpage to show up in entirety on the viewer’s screen is referred to as page speed or website load time. This encompasses written content and interactive buttons, like images and videos. In the end, the speed of a website, from the point of sending requests from the server to the finished display of all the components of a page, is known as page speed.
In other words, page speed is an indication of how quickly all the material is displayed to the people that are using it.
The site’s performance is now more important than ever. According to a new Unbounce survey, the majority (nearly 70%) of digital shoppers have indicated that page speed significantly impacts their decisions when shopping on the internet.
Why does website performance matter?
The necessity of having a well-running website in today’s digital age is unmistakable. The effects that a faster website can have on user experience as well as resulting in a lower bounce rate and other key performance indicators are extremely beneficial when conducting business online.
Experts have established that a minuscule 100ms dip in the speed of loading the main page brought forth a 1.11% increase in conversion rate in a single session, and created an additional income of more than $380,000 per year. The session-based conversion rate was raised by 1.55% due to a diminution of the checkout page.
It is an undeniable fact that website performance has a significant and measurable impact on the majority of key performance indicators. A business focused on the delivery of frozen meals that was able to decrease its average page loading time by 0.85 seconds experienced a 7% improvement in conversations and a 7% reduction in bounce rates. In other words, the faster a webpage opens, the more likely it is that a user will achieve the desired goal on that page.
So, how fast is fast enough for good experience?
It is difficult to know what the ideal level of website performance should be. In 2010, Google declared that it is essential for a website’s performance that it should take no more than two seconds to load completely, in order to create a satisfying user experience. This value is still referred to even ten years after.
Key Performance Metrics
1.Time to first byte
One of the most commonly seen measurements regarding web page performance used by a variety of tools is Time to first byte, which is often called TTFB.
This metric measures how long it takes from when site visitors make their HTTP requests until they receive the first byte of data from the web server.
Inquiries made to the servers that are simple are known as HTTP requests. Remember that each enquiry must be answered separately and that every server has a limitation of the amount of simultaneous questions it can process. Consequently, an excessive amount of HTTP requests can lead to degraded performance and slower user interaction.
One of the primary factors of how quickly a website loads is the Time to First Byte (TTFB) – it is measured in milliseconds and the quicker the TTFB, the faster the content is sent to the user’s web browser.
Technically speaking, TTFB consists of the sum of the following request phases:
- Redirect time,
- DNS lookup speed,
- Connection time as well as TLS negotiation,
- Request, until the arrival of the first byte of the response.
Figuring out the ideal measurement of the TTFB metric can be difficult since it can vary greatly depending on the kind of material that your website is showcasing and how your server is set up. No matter what the overall average is, it is considered to be a great outcome if the time to first byte (TTFB) is lower than 100 ms.
Values that fall around the 300 ms mark are common among the latest websites, and values between 500 ms and 1 second indicate there is space for improvement. Careful examination needs to be done to assess any delays longer than 1 second since it can negatively impact the business.
Dividing the websites by the content they display, the average TTFB values are as follows:
- Dynamic content – 200ms-500ms
- Static content – Under 100 ms
Are your values noticeably higher than the industry average? Here are some of the most common factors negatively influencing TTFB:
- The abundance of dynamic content,
- Problems with networking and web server configuration,
- Server data capacity and throughput issues (high RAM latency, network bottlenecks),
- Inadequate and inefficient database design.
2. Website Speed
The phrase website speed merely brings up ideas of how long it takes to load, however, looking into this statistic can provide more data.
As people’s attention spans become shorter, you have to figure out how fast your website behaves in different aspects.
These include:
Time to Title
This refers to the length of time it takes from when a visitor clicks to enter your website until your website’s title appears in the browser tab. It is essential for visitors that the title of the website appears quickly to indicate that the site is reliable.
Time to Start Render
This phrase describes the span of time from when a user makes a request until the content appears in their web browser. The sooner this process is completed, the more likely it is that the person browsing will not leave the page.
Time to Interact
One of the most essential elements of user experience is how much time it takes from a user’s first request and when they are able to perform an action (clicking links, scrolling, typing, etc.). This is known as the “time to interact” and it significantly determines how long a visitor will stay on your page.
Beginning with these 3 metrics related to web site speed is a tremendous way to initiate improving the total speed. Additionally, there are numerous more comprehensive metrics that pertain to site speed.
3. Error Rate
This statistic monitors how many issues that come with requests your website produces in relation to the full quantity of requests. If you observe a sharp increase in the numbers, you will recognize that you are approaching a serious problem. By closely monitoring the amount of mistakes you make, you can identify and solve issues before they become a problem. Nevertheless, without paying attention to your error rate, you could be met with problems that can completely disable your website, and consequently you would need to quickly fix them.
A tool can be utilized to follow your blunder rate.
4. Bounce Rate
This metric indicates the amount of users who leave a website shortly after they come to it. Apart from influencing sales and overall performance, a large number of bounced visitors can affect SEO detrimentally as it implies that your website did not deliver what it was meant to provide.
To locate your bounce rate in Google Analytics, go to Behavior>Site Content>Landing Pages Report and look down to observe bounce rates for distinct pages.
5. Unique Visitors
This phrase means a single visitor to your website over a given interval, such as a day, week, or month. This metric is valuable as it indicates growth.
The focus of brand expansion should be to ensure that the amount of new viewers is increasing steadily, despite the positive aspects of fresh repeat customers.
This measure can be seen quickly in the Audience menu in a Google Analytics account.
6. Traffic Source
By looking at where your traffic is originating from, you can gain a better understanding as opposed to just looking at the amount of traffic you are receiving.
This is important since it gives you the capability to figure out where your guests are coming from; namely, whether they have come through organic search, social media, or been referred. It is best to have an equal amount of traffic from each source when considering a bag. If you find that your content strategy is emphasizing one source more heavily than the others, you can tweak it to make sure it has a more equal focus.
Using Google Analytics, go to Acquisition and then select All Traffic to view where your traffic is sourced from. Afterwards, check the Channels tab.
7. Conversion Rate
A repeated phrase among marketers is “Turn, turn, turn!” Monitoring your conversion rate provides insight into the caliber of your prospects, as well as how successful your website is in its entirety.
For instance, if you have a lot of website traffic but few conversions, it is safe to assume that your on-page strategies are not performing as efficiently as the off-page approaches.
This data gives you the opportunity to customize the characteristics of your website to better suit the requirements of your users.
To see your rate of transformation in Google Analytics, go to the Conversion section and then look at the general summary.
8. Top Pages Website
You consistently want to be aware of which pages on your website are achieving the highest success—whatever success looks like for the objectives you have.
Pay attention to which webpages are producing results and which are not. Discovering what is effective can help you to replicate that same result in the rest of the pages of your website.
When evaluating which pages are giving you the best results, you need to pay attention to the ones people enter your site on and the ones people leave your site from.
Landing Pages
This is the initial page that visitors see when they access your website. Since it is acknowledged that you can’t get a second opportunity to make a first impression, these webpages must be optimized for the best performance possible.
Examine the performance of these pages by using Google Analytics to view Behavior, Site Content, and Landing Pages.
Exit Pages
The last page a user looks at before concluding their visit is known as an exit page. Discovering which webpages these are can help you modify them to be more efficient, which will keep visitors occupied for a longer duration.
To investigate the pages people leave your website from, go to Behavior > Site Content > Exit Pages.
9. Keyword Ranking
Even though keyword rankings often fluctuate, a steep and sudden drop could be a warning sign.
When considering SEO measurements to follow, the position of keywords should be your primary focus.
Why?
This statement allows you to make sure that your SEO methodology is bringing in desired results, and can provide you with a tangible measure of your advancement.
10. Lead Generation
Lead generation is essential for the expansion of your business. You realize how hard it is to get leads, let alone understanding an open-ended area.
To give yourself a more comprehensive look at your lead generation tactic, make certain to monitor three significant website metrics: bounce rate, average session period, and click-through rate (CTR).
As we discussed the bounce rate, it is important to follow and analyze CTR and how long average sessions last.
CTR
This statistic indicates what fraction of website visitors responded to a given call to action and is an important detail for understanding the achievement of lead targets.
Average Session Duration
This metric is used to measure the average length of time a user stays on your website. Length of usage time is indicative of how invested people are, while a short time span implies that improvements and alterations should be made.
Website Performance Metrics Conclusion
If you have a new website in the works or you want to improve the performance of an existing one, then these 10 website performance measurements can give you an understanding of how visitors are using your website, along with how the site functions as a whole.
You can enhance the user experience of your website by making alterations to things that are under your control, like the speed of loading pages and the amount of assets required. This should lead to people spending more time on your site.
You don’t have the capability to directly influence the conduct of those who visit your website, but you can improve the content so it will influence the way they act.