The Google Page Speed Update for Mobile Search Rankings

Google has announced that Google page speed update is now worldwide to enable page speed in mobile search rankings.

With more than half of all web traffic coming from mobile users, speed is now a ranking factor in mobile search results.

Google has noted that this update will affect the slowest of mobile pages, with pages taking several seconds to load. Rankings will only be affected if a page takes a few seconds to load on mobile, if the speed is improved only in the slightest for an already fast speed page, rankings will not be affected.

Google stated “Consider this: more than half of all web traffic now happens on mobile. Yet the average mobile webpage takes 15 seconds to load. And for many brands, this equates to missed opportunity, especially when more than half of visitors are abandoned if a mobile page takes more than three seconds to load.”

Google now evaluates a mobile page speed on a 10-point grading scale. It will integrate into Google Ads to easily view which pages are successful and those which are not.

This grading system takes a number of factors into consideration such as load time and the relationship between Google page speed and expected conversion rate.

Google has recommended Accelerated Mobile Pages to speed up your site. “Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) provide a faster, smoother, and more engaging mobile experience. In fact, AMP pages typically load 85 percent faster than standard mobile pages.”

“Once you’ve sped up your site, you can direct your search ad clicks to those AMP pages and create the super-fast and delightful mobile experiences people expect.”

If you are concerned about how the Google page speed update may impact your page rankings, get in contact with one of our experts and find out how we can help to improve your page speed.