Every site owner employs every possible strategy to boost Search Engine Optimization and invests ample resources in widespread marketing activities to reach the top positions on search pages. However, they often overlook the essential elements of a site that can affect the search rankings. That is website speed. Repeatedly, research has shown that the speed of a website is one of the topmost criteria for making a site successful. One of such elements of success is being ranked well on search engine results. Because, whether we like it or not, a good SEO score defines how well a site is performing.
What exactly is site speed?
To understand the impact of side speed on its search ranking, it is important to understand what determines the site speed. The site speed is the amount of time that a webpage or a website takes to load. Research has shown that users tend to abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load. This means you must ensure that your site loads within this period (or faster if possible). To better assess the current speed of your website, you can refer to Google’s Page Speed Insights.
What affects side speed?
The equation is simple. Whatever affects the site speed, consequently affects the SEO. So, to improve the site speed, you need to address the issues that affect the same.
Hosting environment
While there might not be a direct connection between hosting and SEO, the hosting environment largely impacts the site speed. The server response time is a crucial element for the overall performance of your site and is dependent on the destination server. Owners of successful sites prefer using a cloud-hosting platform to a physical server. Cloud Hosting has its own exclusive features, which enable improved site performance. It uses a Content Delivery Network (CDN) that distributes the site resources across multiple virtual servers across different locations. This helps the source computer seek information from a server that is in the closest geographical proximity.
Site media
Media is critical for any website today, but particularly for news, social media, entertainment sites. Moreover, a data overload can pull down the site speed. Hence, it is essential to optimize the images, videos, and audio files on your website to improve the loading time. Optimization of site media includes using the right type and right size of files without compromising on the visual quality.
Caching
Caching helps to return to sites faster and ensures a better user experience. With smarter caching techniques, you can leverage the speed of your website. This is another aspect where cloud hosting scores well. It uses more efficient caching like Varnish Cache, which can boost site speed by up to 1000 times.
Summing up…
Once you know how you can enhance your site speed and performance, targeting a higher SEO rank would be much easier. Along with a robust SEO strategy, a fast loading site, and the assistance of a reliable Cloud Hosting provider, you can expect nothing but a place in the top page of search results!