Search Marketing News

Page load time to affect SEO ranking?

December 04th 2009

The possibility that page load time will become a Google ranking factor next year has been strengthened by a recent addition to the search engine's Webmaster Tools.

Google's Matt Cutts first indicated last month that page load time may make its debut as a search ranking factor in 2010.

Now the addition of a Site Performance tab on the Google Webmaster Tools site is fuelling online speculation that this may indeed be the case.

As the name suggests, Site Performance is designed to help website owners track how well their sites perform - including how fast pages load, how they have fared over time and how the site's load time compares to that of others.

Many of the suggestions Site Performance provides are identical or similar in nature to those provided by Google's Page Speed add-on for the Firebug Firefox plugin - already a popular tool used for testing load times and identifying certain types of performance bottlenecks.

However, Site Performance does have the advantage of global data thanks to the ability to track the 'experiences' of users around the world so long as they are using the Google Toolbar.

• Page by page redirects help sustain SEO when moving website
• Describing items in singular is best for SEO
• SEO can boost sales without rebuilding a site
• Search engine optimisation tips for small businesses
• Headlines are key to achieve search engine optimisation