What is Google PageSpeed Insights? - A Guide for Business Owners

Learn how this free Google tool can help improve your website's performance and boost your business growth

Nov 27, 2024

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Web Development

A computer screen displaying the performance of a website.
A computer screen displaying the performance of a website.
A computer screen displaying the performance of a website.

As a business owner focused on growth, you already know your website plays a crucial role in attracting and converting customers. And you’ve probably seen a lot about “high performing” websites. But you might be left wondering what that actually means and what it really has to do with your business.

That's where Google PageSpeed Insights comes in – a powerful (and free) tool that helps you understand how well your website performs and where it needs improvement. In this article we will first explain how to use the tool, then we’ll go into how it works to give you quality results and what those results mean for your website and business.

How to Use PageSpeed Insights for Your Business

Using the tool is straightforward:

  1. Visit Google PageSpeed Insights (just search for it on Google or click here)

  2. Enter your website's address

  3. Click "Analyze" and wait for your report

However, the real value comes not from running the test, but from knowing what to do with the results.

While the tool is free and accessible, implementing its recommendations often requires technical expertise to ensure improvements are made correctly and effectively.

What is Google PageSpeed Insights?

Google PageSpeed Insights (PSI) is like having a technical consultant evaluate your website's performance. It analyzes how quickly your web pages load and how smoothly they work on both mobile devices and desktop computers.

Think of it as a health check-up for your website, providing you with a clear score and very specific recommendations for improvement. Some of these recommendations will sound very technical so in this article we will go over the most important things for you to know to be able to make confident, informed decisions moving forward.

What Does PageSpeed Insights Actually Tell You?

When you run a PageSpeed Insights analysis, you'll receive a number of different scores. You will get two sets of score- one for mobile and one for desktop. (Remember, over half of internet use occurs on mobile devices).

For both mobile and desktop you will get 4 different scores: overall performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. Score below 50 are poor; 50-89 needs improvement; 90+ is good.

What each score means:

  • The overall performance: How well the core functions of the website work, basically its ability to be produced and functional on someone’s screen. This is the most important score.

  • Accessibility: How easy it is for internet users with impairments to access everything on the site, which has become more critical over time.

  • Best Practices: This evaluates how well your website adheres to web development standards and security guidelines, such as security measures, JavaScript usage, and meta-data.

  • SEO: How well your website naturally shows up at the top of relevant searches in search engines like Google or Bing).

Beyond the score, the particularly useful part of the results is the report with specific recommendations for improvement, such as:

  • Image optimization opportunities, indicating which specific files could be compressed

  • Code efficiency suggestions, indicating which specific code components are too heavy

  • Server response time improvements

Think of these insights as a prioritized to-do list for improving your website's performance. While you might not need to understand the technical details, knowing these issues exist helps you make informed decisions about your website's maintenance and optimization.

How Does It Work?

When you use PageSpeed Insights, it examines your website in two important ways:

  1. Real-World Data: It looks at how actual visitors experience your website, collecting data from real users over time. This helps you understand if real potential customers are having consistent issues with your site. This is probably the most important component in the assessment but requires your website to be a few months or years old and some traffic to report back.

  2. Laboratory Testing: It performs controlled tests to simulate how your website performs under various conditions, giving you a detailed look at potential problems.

The tool then generates a score from 0 to 100, where a higher score = better performance. But what business owners will find most useful about PageSpeed Insights is that, as mentioned, it doesn’t just stop at a score.

It actually translates the technical metrics into meaningful insights about your website's user experience. While a score is helpful to understand where your website stands, the most value is in the specific recommendations you will get.

When to Bring in the Experts

While PageSpeed Insights is excellent at identifying issues and providing valuable recommendations, fixing them is another matter entirely. Consider working with web development experts when:

  • Your overall performance score is consistently below 90

  • The recommended fixes involve technical terms you're unfamiliar with

  • You want to ensure improvements are implemented correctly the first time

  • You need to balance performance improvements with other business priorities

Professional developers (like STOA 😉) can:

  • Interpret technical recommendations accurately

  • Implement fixes without breaking other website functionality

  • Prioritize improvements based on their impact on your business goals

  • Maintain ongoing performance as your website grows

Why Should You Care About Your PageSpeed Insights Score?

The impact of website performance on your business is significant:

Making PageSpeed Insights Work for Your Business

The key to using PageSpeed Insights effectively is understanding its role in your broader digital strategy.

While it's valuable to know your website's performance score and potential issues, your time is better spent focusing on your core business operations rather than trying to implement technical fixes yourself.

Consider running a PageSpeed Insights check quarterly to monitor your website's performance, but leave the optimization work to technical experts who can implement improvements efficiently while you focus on growing your business.

Take Action Today

Understanding your website's performance is the first step toward improving it. Start by:

  1. Running a PageSpeed Insights analysis on your website

  2. Noting your current score as a baseline

  3. Identifying if your score falls in the "needs improvement" or "poor" range

  4. Consulting with web development experts (send us a message by clicking here) about a strategic plan for improvement

Remember, your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. Ensuring it performs well isn't just about technical metrics – it's about providing the professional, efficient experience your customers expect.

Need help interpreting your PageSpeed Insights results or implementing improvements?

Our team specializes in helping established businesses optimize their digital presence for growth. Contact us to discuss how we can help your website perform at its best while you focus on what matters most to you in your business.

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Step into the STOA: Where Digital Wisdom Meets Business Growth

In ancient Greece, the Stoa was a gathering place for learning and discussion. 

Today, STOA Agency serves as your digital portico—a space where we transform your online presence into a powerful tool for success.

Curious about how we can embark on the journey toward a website that works as hard as you do? Have a question about the digital world? Want to suggest a blog topic?

Let's start a conversation.

Use this form or email us at hello@stoa.agency.

Step into the STOA: Where Digital Wisdom Meets Business Growth

In ancient Greece, the Stoa was a gathering place for learning and discussion. 

Today, STOA Agency serves as your digital portico—a space where we transform your online presence into a powerful tool for success.

Curious about how we can embark on the journey toward a website that works as hard as you do? Have a question about the digital world? Want to suggest a blog topic?

Let's start a conversation.

Use this form or email us at hello@stoa.agency.

Step into the STOA: Where Digital Wisdom Meets Business Growth

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Copyright 2024 © STOA Digital Solutions LLC

Wake Forest, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Copyright 2024 © STOA Digital Solutions LLC

Wake Forest, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Copyright 2024 © STOA Digital Solutions LLC