What is PageSpeed?
According to Google, PageSpeed is “an open-source project to help developers make their web pages fast.” PageSpeed Insights is a tool that analyzes the content of a web page and provides suggestions on how to make that page faster.
Is page speed and Google PageSpeed the same thing?
No, page speed and Google PageSpeed are not the same thing. Page speed is a measure of how fast a web page loads, while Google PageSpeed is a tool that provides insights on how to make a web page faster.
How is PageSpeed calculated?
The PageSpeed Score is calculated from a number of factors, including but not limited to:
- Time to first byte
- Number of HTTP requests
- Page size
- Number of DOM elements
- Use of inline CSS and JavaScript
- Use of caching
- Gzip compression
How do you run a PageSped test?
Assuming you already have PageSpeed Insights installed, here’s how to use it:
1. Open PageSpeed Insights.
2. Enter the URL of the page you want to test in the field at the top of the page.
3. Click Analyze. PageSpeed Insights will analyze the page and give you a score from 0-100, with 100 being the best possible score. It will also provide you with a list of specific recommendations for how to improve your page’s performance.
Here’s a brief explanation of some of the most important factors that PageSpeed Insights uses to score your page:
1. Time to First Byte (TTFB)
This measures how long it takes for the initial HTML response to be received from the server. A fast TTFB is important, as it allows the browser to begin parsing the page and start loading resources while the server is still working on sending the rest of the HTML.
2. First Contentful Paint (FCP)
This measures how long it takes for the first “content” element on the page to be rendered. This is generally an HTML element with some text or an image.
3. Speed Index
This measures how quickly content is visible during page load. A low Speed Index score means that users are seeing content quickly as it’s being loaded.
4. Time to Interactive (TTI)
This measures how long it takes for the page to become fully interactive. This is important, as users should be able to interact with the page (click buttons, etc.) as soon as possible.
5. Total Blocking Time (TBT)
This measures how long the page was blocked from becoming interactive due to JavaScript or CSS loading. A low TBT is important, as users should be able to interact with the page as soon as possible.
Important thoughts
PageSpeed Insights is a great tool for measuring the performance of your web pages. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the score is only a relative measure.
That is, a score of 80 on one page does not necessarily mean that the page is “better” than a page with a score of 70.
The score is only meant to be a general indicator of relative performance.
In addition to the score, PageSpeed Insights also provides specific recommendations for how to improve your page’s performance. These recommendations are often specific to the type of page you’re testing (e.g., an e-commerce page will have different recommendations than a blog post).
Finally, keep in mind that PageSpeed Insights is only one tool for measuring performance. There are other tools available, such as WebPageTest, which can provide more detailed information.
