Need for Speed – Which Platforms Have the Best Page Load Times?

Here at TheGenieLab, you’ll know that we live and breathe great website design and development. But we’re also aware that getting your design right is about more than aesthetics. You need to think about your site speed too.

How are your page load times?

We’ve talked before about how important search engine optimisation is to a website. But SEO isn’t just about getting your keywords and content right – site speed is key too.

Google’s algorithm is geared towards rewarding and promoting the websites which offer the best possible user experience. And while that includes ranking sites with innovative user content and well-written customer guides, it also extends to high-tech back-end considerations. In short, how long does it take for your site to load? As far as Google is concerned, faster sites create happy users.

How are websites affected by page loading speeds?

According to Google, slow page loading times only account for less than 1% of search rankings. But that’s not to say site speed isn’t important – that figure appears low but that’s because most websites are already pretty compliant with Google’s allotted site speeds. What’s more, if your website is affected in rankings because of its slow reaction speeds, you will notice the effect.

For instance, a report on Retail Touch Points showed that Smartfurniture.com enjoyed serious rises in 7 of its top 10 keywords in search rankings after improving the speed of its website. Increasing site speed isn’t just important for SEO purposes too – customers are far more likely to switch away if they’re waiting for a slow page to load. Research from Kissmetrics showed that nearly half (47%) of online visitors expect a page to load in less than two seconds and that a one second delay in page response can result in conversions falling by as much as 7%.

Which platforms are the best for speed?

When you’re looking for a speedy new site that’s easy for customers to use, it’s fair to say that you can’t go wrong with three of the big providers – whether that’s Shopify, BigCommerce or Magento Go. Each are designed in order to give simple, effective support to users and allow an engaging, individual design that works speedily.

However, a report by Business 2 Community showed that Shopify is still just about best when it comes to site speed: pages with the eCommerce platform were found to load on average after 0.89 seconds, compared to 1.52 and 1.32 for BigCommerce and Magento Go retrospectively.

Whether you’re looking to increase conversions on your site or simply bring more customers in, it’s clear to see that a fast, engaging website is as important as ever.