Website Performance: Why Your Website Speed Is Important
Although digital marketing success in eCommerce can be largely attributed to factors such as design, content social media, paid marketing, and the use of CRM software in Singapore, they are not the only ones to focus on. While it may not seem like it at first glance, website performance or speed is another overlooked aspect that contributes significantly to eCommerce success.
Many business owners focus heavily on their website’s visual design and functionality, the two key elements to a pleasing user experience. Yet, these will go unappreciated if visitors never manage to make it to the homepage in the first place. According to a Neil Patel research, on average, 47% of online visitors wait at most two seconds for web pages to load before clicking off.
As such, speed is a critical part of eCommerce websites that businesses should prioritise more highly as it can cost businesses millions for each second of delay.
Read on to learn more about the importance of optimising website speed as well as its role in Google Search rankings.
1. Website speed affects conversion
Site speed is paramount today, where instant gratification is common among online users. In fact, quick-loading web pages and websites are linked to higher conversion and lower bounce rates. Google’s findings state that even a one-second improvement in site speed lends to an increase in conversions by up to 27% among mobile users. Add on the fact that around 70% of shoppers are on mobile devices, and it is clear how site speed can have a huge impact on a business’s revenue potential.
Moreover, speed plays a big part in first impressions and how users perceive a brand online. We tend to associate fast websites with professional and reliable businesses, and users bounce to them after losing patience with slower-loading sites. Therefore, websites that consistently load quickly are the first step to delivering an impressive user experience for your audience.
2. Plays a vital role in Google Search rankings
Google Search connects users with quality and relevant results based on their queries via a ranking system that sorts through the billions of online websites. The company’s obsession with speed for every product on the web is reflected in their recent change to their search ranking algorithm, which included Core Web Vital signals as of May 2021. Essentially, these signals measure how quick users think a website is via three core metrics:
- Interactivity
Interactivity lets visitors know when a website is usable by measuring the time they initially interact with the page, such as clicking a linked text or button, to the time their web browser actually responds to the interaction.
- Loading
Loading informs users when a site is useful by evaluating the time it takes for the web page’s content to load.
- Visual Stability
The visual stability metric ensures the best experience possible by measuring how frequently users encounter unexpected layout shifts.
Although improving site speed is essential to ranking higher on Google and getting discovered by greater audiences, the company clarified that this should not come at the cost of compromising the quality of relevancy of the site’s content. These three aspects must be prioritised equally to achieve higher rankings that lead to growth in organic traffic.
3. Provides an excellent first impression that fosters loyalty
As mentioned previously, first impressions matter in eCommerce. Remember that it is cheaper to get established customers to make repeat purchases than to find new ones, and website speed plays an essential role. If a slow website results in a negative first experience for customers is problematic, long-term exposure to them is even worse.
Businesses with a snappy eCommerce storefront have increased odds of getting repeat customers. A study by Skilled discovered that around 79% of customers are unlikely to make another purchase from slow-loading online stores due to their dissatisfactory experience. Therefore, investing in reduced load times and quicker page speed across your online store nets a worthwhile return of lower customer acquisition costs in the future.
Conclusion
A snappy website is a non-negotiable prerequisite for businesses to succeed on the web. A fast online store ensures customers have a good user experience from their first visit and continually provides them with a positive impression on their subsequent purchases. Therefore, optimising website and web page loading speed should never be overlooked and must be prioritised from the very beginning.
MIBC has the experience and expertise to create the eCommerce storefront that meets your needs for expansion into the digital space. As a veteran website solutions company in Singapore, we can provide a comprehensive data audit of your website to improve its speed, making us the perfect partner to promote your business’s success in today’s competitive online market landscape. Whether you need virtual branding, digital branding, or PSG eCommerce development services, don’t hesitate to contact us today for more details.
