When it comes to websites, speed isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a ranking factor, a conversion booster, and a trust builder. In 2025, users expect your site to load in under 3 seconds—and if it doesn’t, they’re gone. Fast.
Google now ranks websites not just by relevance, but also by how quickly they deliver a seamless experience. That means website speed directly affects your SEO, bounce rate, and revenue.
Let’s break down why speed matters and how to make your site lightning fast.
Why Website Speed Impacts SEO
In Google’s eyes, speed = quality. Here’s why:
Core Web Vitals
Google’s Core Web Vitals are now part of the ranking algorithm. These metrics include:
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LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): How fast your main content loads
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FID (First Input Delay): How fast your site becomes interactive
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CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): How stable your layout is while loading
If your site scores poorly, it’s less likely to appear on page one.
Mobile-First Indexing
Google primarily indexes the mobile version of your site. A slow mobile experience = lower search visibility.
Crawl Efficiency:
If your site loads slowly, Googlebot may not crawl all your pages—meaning new content or product pages can go undiscovered.
Why Speed Affects Conversions
Speed is money. Every second of delay = lost sales, lost signups, and lost trust.
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47% of users expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less
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1 extra second of delay can drop conversions by 7%
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70% of users say speed influences their likelihood to buy
No matter how good your offer or design is—if your site lags, you lose.
What’s Slowing Your Site Down?
Common speed killers include:
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Unoptimized images (too large or not compressed)
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Bloated WordPress themes or templates
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Too many plugins or third-party scripts
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No caching or lazy loading setup
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Cheap shared hosting with slow response times
How to Fix It
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Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Lighthouse to test your speed
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Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or WebP
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Enable caching (use WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, or similar)
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Minimize CSS and JavaScript files
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Switch to premium hosting (like SiteGround, Cloudways, or Kinsta)
Think of Speed as UX + SEO Combined
Website speed isn’t just technical—it’s a user experience signal. A fast, fluid experience means higher rankings, better conversions, and happier users.
You can have the best content, design, and offer—but if it loads in 6 seconds, none of it matters.
Let’s Make Your Website Lightning Fast
At Selected, we offer speed audits, performance optimization, and SEO fixes to help your site rank better and convert faster. Whether you’re on WordPress, Shopify, or a custom CMS—we’ll tune it for performance.