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What Is Page Speed?
Performance
Quick Answer
Page speed is how quickly a webpage fully loads and becomes usable for a visitor — measured in seconds, and directly linked to both visitor drop-off rates and Google search rankings.
Page Speed vs. Core Web Vitals — What's the Difference?
| Page Speed | Core Web Vitals | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | General load time | Three specific, named Google metrics |
| Relationship | Broader concept | A more precise, standardized way of measuring it |
Why Does Page Speed Matter for a Small Business?
- Visitors commonly abandon a page that takes more than a few seconds to load, especially on mobile.
- Google uses page speed as a direct ranking factor.
How Do You Improve Page Speed?
- Compress and resize images before uploading.
- Remove unused plugins, apps, or scripts.
- Choose a hosting provider or plan built for speed, not just the cheapest option.
Key Takeaways
- Page speed directly affects both visitor retention and search rankings.
- Under 2-3 seconds is a reasonable target for most sites.
- Image compression is usually the highest-impact, easiest fix.
How NetNav Helps
NetNav measures your actual page speed and identifies the specific cause when it's slow, rather than just flagging that it is.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast should my website load?
Under 2-3 seconds is a commonly cited target — beyond that, drop-off rates climb noticeably.
What's the easiest way to check my page speed?
Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool gives a score and specific fixes for any URL.
Does image size really make that much difference?
Yes — oversized, uncompressed images are one of the single most common causes of slow-loading pages.