Full definition
Page speed refers to how quickly a webpage's content loads and becomes interactive for visitors. It is both a direct ranking factor in Google Search and a significant determinant of user experience and conversion rates. Key page speed metrics include: Time to First Byte (TTFB — how quickly the server responds), First Contentful Paint (FCP — first visible content), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP — main content loaded), and Time to Interactive (TTI — fully functional). Page speed is measured using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and Core Web Vitals reporting in Google Search Console.
Real-world example
A healthcare site reduces image file sizes by 60% and implements lazy loading, improving mobile LCP from 5.2s to 1.8s — moving from 'Poor' to 'Good' in Core Web Vitals.
Related terms
Google's set of speed and UX metrics — LCP, INP, and CLS — used as ranking signals.
Read definitionA Core Web Vital that measures how long it takes for the largest visible element on a page to fully load.
Read definitionA Core Web Vital that measures a page's responsiveness to user interactions like clicks, taps, and keyboard input.
Read definitionA Core Web Vital that measures the visual stability of a page — how much content unexpectedly shifts during loading.
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