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:
Visit Google PageSpeed Insights (just search for it on Google or click here)
Enter your website's address
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:
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.
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:
Better User Experience: Faster websites keep visitors engaged and more likely to become customers. 40% of users will abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Higher Search Rankings: Google favors faster websites in search results, helping you attract more organic traffic. The average page load time for websites ranking on Google’s first page is just 1.65 seconds!
Increased Conversions: Studies show that even a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%.
Competitive Advantage: A well-performing website sets you apart from competitors who haven't prioritized their online presence. 64% of shoppers will switch to a competitor if they experience poor website performance.
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:
Running a PageSpeed Insights analysis on your website
Noting your current score as a baseline
Identifying if your score falls in the "needs improvement" or "poor" range
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.
