There are over 200 factors that affect search rankings and site load speed is one of them.
As from about April, 2010, Google have included site and page load speed as a factor in how your website ranks. It may not be as big a factor as some of the other 200 odd factors but it is now more important to minimize site speed as much as possible. So why have Google included site speed as a factor?
Well it is quite simple, improving site speed helps to reduce operating costs and improve customers browsing experience which in turn can impact on the number of searches per user and hence, business metrics. We all want a faster browsing experience and if the website you are browsing is slow to load then you are most likely to switch away from it.
There are many factors that can affect site speed and website owners using Flash based websites should be testing their site speed and consider changes to improve their site’s performance. Flash based websites are notoriously slow to load and difficult to rank well. Other factors that are important in affecting site speed are such things as a slow web servers, site structure, the amount and size of any media such as images, video and audio that your site might be using. All of these factors can be improved and are worth doing.
You want your business web site to be built well, with great content and fast. A fast website makes for a better web user experience for everyone and might just help your page ranking.
– Peter
