Here’s a question that landed in my inbox last week that I bet will resonate with many of you: “Chris, our website takes ages to load. With everyone on the fast internet these days, does speed really still matter for SEO?”
The coffee nearly shot out my nose reading this one. Not because it’s a bad question – it’s actually a really good one – but because it reminds me of conversations I was having with clients 22 years ago when I first started in digital marketing. The technology has changed dramatically since then, but our patience as users? That’s gone in the completely opposite direction.
The Need for Speed is Greater Than Ever
Let me share a sobering statistic with you: Google’s latest research shows that if your page takes longer than three seconds to load, you’re losing over half your mobile visitors before they even see what you offer. Think about that for a moment. All that effort you’ve put into your SEO, your Google Ads, your content – and 53% of people are leaving before they’ve even seen it.
It’s like having a shop with a door that takes 10 seconds to open. No matter how amazing your products are or how great your service is, most people simply won’t wait around to find out.
Why Google Cares (And Why You Should Too)
Google has always cared about speed, but in 2024 they’ve doubled down on it. It’s now a critical part of how they judge your website’s worthiness to appear in search results. They’re looking at three key measurements (stay with me here – I’ll keep the technical jargon to a minimum):
- How fast your main content loads (what they call Largest Contentful Paint or LCP)
- How quickly your page responds to user input (First Input Delay or FID)
- How stable your page is as it loads (Cumulative Layout Shift or CLS)
Think of these as your website’s WOF (Warrant of Fitness). Just like your car needs to pass its WOF to stay on the road legally, your website needs to meet these standards to compete effectively in search results.
The Mobile Factor
According to StatCounter, over 65% of web page visits in New Zealand now come from mobile devices[1]. This isn’t just a nice-to-know statistic – it’s crucial because Google now predominantly uses the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing. If your site is slow on mobile, you’re not just frustrating users – you’re actively hurting your search visibility.
Real World Impact
When it comes to hosting, the quality of your hosting provider and their infrastructure can make a significant difference to your site’s performance. Factors like server response time, resource allocation, and hosting configuration all play crucial roles in how quickly your pages load.
Check Your Current Performance
Before diving into improvements, you’ll want to know where you stand. The good news is that Google provides this information for free in Google Search Console. Look for the “Core Web Vitals” report under the “Experience” section. This report shows you how your pages are performing in terms of loading, interactivity, and visual stability. If you’re seeing a lot of red or yellow indicators, that’s a sign you’ve got work to do.
What You Can Do About It
Once you know where you stand, here are three areas where we typically focus our optimization efforts:
- Sort Out Your Images
- Images are often the largest files on your website
- Modern image formats and compression can dramatically reduce load times without sacrificing quality
- Choose the Right Hosting
- Look for providers with robust infrastructure and good performance records
- Don’t just go for the cheapest option – consider speed, reliability, and support quality
- Clean Up Your Code
- Remove unnecessary plugins
- Minimize redirects
- Enable browser caching
- Think of it like decluttering your house – sometimes less really is more
The Impact on Your Marketing Investment
Here’s something to consider: if your website is slow, you’re essentially paying a penalty on all your marketing efforts. Let’s say you’re spending $1,000 a month on Google Ads. If half your visitors are leaving before your page loads, that’s $500 wasted before you’ve even had a chance to make your pitch.
The Bottom Line
In 2025’s digital landscape, page speed isn’t just a technical nice-to-have – it’s a fundamental part of your marketing foundation. With Google’s AI-powered search becoming more sophisticated, user experience signals like page speed are only going to become more important.
The good news? Most speed issues are fixable, and the return on investment can be substantial. If you’re curious about how your website stacks up, drop us a line. We’ll help you identify what’s slowing you down and create a practical plan to speed things up.
Remember, in the race for search visibility, every second counts. Sometimes, it’s the simplest changes that make the biggest difference.
Need help improving your website’s speed? Get in touch with us today at 0800 437 628 or email sales@arkadvance.com to learn more about our website optimization services.
Sources: [1] StatCounter Global Stats – Platform Comparison Market Share New Zealand (Jan 2024 – Mar 2024) [2] Google/SOASTA Research: “The State of Online Retail Performance” (2024 Update) [3] Google Search Central Blog: “Core Web Vitals & Page Experience Update” (2024)
