When it comes to page load speeds, time is of the essence and every second counts. In fact, UX research has found that detecting a page loading delay can actually deter a customer’s drive to complete a purchase.
Understanding how page loading time affects all aspects of your business is vital in making the right improvement decisions. To that end, we’ve compiled thirteen thought-provoking page load time statistics to help you improve your web performance.
What is page load time?
Page load time is the average time it takes for a page to display on your screen. It’s calculated from the moment you click on a link or the moment you enter a web address to the time the page is fully displayed. The more robust the page size, the longer it takes to load.
Page load time is measured in seconds and comprises two parts:
1. Network and Server Time.
This indicates the speed of your internet connection and the delivery rate of static files (e.g., photos).
2. Browser Time
This is the time the browser takes to parse (analyze and convert) and execute the document, then render (deliver) the page in preparation for user interaction.
Google PageSpeed Insights is a free tool that you can use to quickly analyze your website performance and evaluate how fast it is loading.
That said, for more in-depth guidance and actionable improvement suggestions, an SEO tool or digital analytics tool will usually be a better option.
How optimized page load time benefits you
Higher engagement and customer satisfaction
Load time hugely impacts how visitors interact with your site, thus affecting your bottom line. And in a study, 70% of consumers confirm page speed impacts their enthusiasm to buy from a brand.
Typically, websites with faster-loading pages provide a better user experience. Therefore, visitors are encouraged to engage more and make more purchases. If visitors experience a 10-second delay on your site, they’ll likely leave straight away.
SEO and search engine ranking
Google uses website loading speed as part of its ranking factors. As a result, it influences the position of your website in the search results.
Slow-loading pages impact how well your website is optimized for search engines (SEO) by:
- Increasing bounce rate (the % of visitors that leave your site after visiting one page).
- Decreasing your average session time (the time spent interacting with your website).
Fast-loading websites are favored by search engines and rank higher. And higher-ranked pages are easier to notice, and 49% of the time, get most of the search traffic — which is quite significant!
Therefore, web page optimization is an excellent place to start for improved SEO — your business will thrive through increased web traffic.
Encourages customer retention
If a customer’s first-time impression of your website is negative due to slowness, ongoing page slowness is probably worse.
Encouraging your existing customers to make repeat purchases is cheaper than acquiring new customers. And your web page speeds will impact this. Invest in increasing page load speeds across your website to inspire customer loyalty and keep your customer acquisition costs low.
Factors that affect page load time and tips to improve it
1. Web host
The web host you choose will affect your website’s performance. The speed is affected by three factors that should be considered for a positive impact on your website:
- The hard drive: SSDs are faster and more reliable.
- Adequate RAM: Around 2 GB of RAM should suffice for a basic and lightweight website. However, most dynamic websites will need more.
- Bandwidth: The higher the bandwidth allocation, the speedier your website functions will be.
2. Size of files
The larger the files on your web pages are, the longer it will take to download everything. Images are the worst culprit for slow-loading pages. To get around this, website owners tend to stick to the most used image formats on the web for their relatively small file size: PEG, PNG, GIF, WebP SVG, and HEIC.
3. The number of files
Several files on a web page increase the browser data transfer. Try not to overload the browser by keeping your use of external resources to a minimum.
4. Browser compatibility issues
Some browsers may be slower in rendering some of your website page elements and cause slowness. However, handy free tools are available to provide detailed reports on how quickly your site loads on multiple browsers.
13 Page Load Time Statistics
1. A website that loads in 1 second has a conversion rate 3x higher than a site that takes 5 seconds to load
Portent’s research contributes to several studies that conclude site speed affects conversion rates. Their findings were based on eCommerce and conversion data for over 27,000 landing pages. The correlation between page load times and the conversion rate was examined.
Additionally, they found that the site that takes 1 second to load has a 5x higher conversion rate than a site that takes 10 seconds.
Source: Portent
This underscores the crucial role of site speed in enhancing user experience, increasing conversion rates, and gaining a competitive edge in the online market. Faster loading times, besides reducing user frustration, encourage more users to complete desired actions on the site, thereby driving up conversion rates.
2. Almost 70% of consumers admit that page loading speed affects their motivation to buy from an online retailer
Keeping pace with consumers’ digital expectations can directly influence your e-commerce bottom line, as nearly 70% of shoppers reveal that page load speed has a direct impact on their purchase intentions. Delays as short as 1/10th of a second can transform a confident customer into a hesitant one, nudging conversions off the cliff. For eCommerce enterprises seeking to climb the heights of success, streamlining your website speed isn’t just an IT task – it’s a crucial business strategy.
Rapid, responsive, and smooth shopping experiences are the new norm, not the exception. By investing in website speed optimization, online retailers can turn every second saved into potential revenue earned, thereby staying ahead in the cutthroat digital marketplace.
3. A 10-second page load time on a mobile increases the bounce rate by 123% compared to a 1-second load time
Google’s research highlights a concerning fact: a 10-second page load time on mobile can increase the bounce rate by 123% compared to a 1-second load time. This underlines how crucial mobile website speed is for keeping users engaged and reducing bounce rates. In a world where more users are browsing on their mobile devices, slow load times directly lead to lost potential customers and lower revenue. It’s clear then that optimizing web page speeds for mobile isn’t just a technical task, but a critical business strategy that can impact customer retention and overall business success.
4. Pages with a 0-2 second page load time have the highest eCommerce conversion rates
Source: Portent
Portent discovered this stat by analyzing the conversion data of over 100 million page views for B2B and B2C sites.
Another thought-provoking insight revealed that B2C businesses’ webpage speed had improved slightly from the last time the study was run in 2019. Where 86% of the pages loaded in 5 seconds or less. In comparison, the previous stat was 81%.
On the other hand, there was no change for B2B web pages. 82% of web pages still load in 5 seconds or less.
5. The average web page load time is 2.5 seconds for desktop and 8.6 seconds for mobile
According to Tooltester‘s recent analysis, the average web page load time stands at 2.5 seconds for desktop and a staggering 8.6 seconds for mobile among the top 100 websites worldwide. These figures present a stark reality: mobile users, despite their growing numbers, are still grappling with slower page load times compared to their desktop counterparts.
Such differences can directly impact user engagement, retention, and conversion rates, making website speed optimization a necessity for both desktop and mobile experiences. In essence, bridging this performance gap isn’t just a technological challenge, but a strategic move to maintain a competitive edge and deliver a seamless user experience across all platforms.
6. 50% of consumers blame their internet connection for slow-loading web pages before blaming your site
An Unbounce survey reveals that 50% of consumers blame their internet connection, not the website, for slow-loading pages. This indicates a misunderstanding among users about the cause of slow page loads.
However, as more websites become optimized for speed, this misconception is likely to change. Users will expect fast-loading sites as the norm, and websites that fail to meet this expectation might face criticism. Therefore, it’s essential for website owners to prioritize web performance optimization to meet growing user expectations and maintain a positive online reputation.
Source: Unbounce
7. Facebook’s “prefetching” functionality improves a website’s load time by up to 25%
Prefetching lets Facebook download mobile content before a link is clicked. Their infamous algorithms can tell how likely a user is to click on a mobile feed link. It prefetches the page’s content and saves a cached version on the user’s mobile when it identifies this. If the user clicks the link, they’ll view a cached prefetched version.
This stat will have business owners prioritizing Facebook to promote product pages and articles for this faster page-loading feature.
Source: Facebook
8. 10% of web pages could be reduced by 1 MB by compressing the images and text
According to a study conducted by Google, a significant 10% of web pages could be lightened by a whole 1MB simply through compressing images and text, with an additional 25% of pages having the potential to shave off 250KB. This isn’t a trivial figure – it spotlights a tangible opportunity for websites to enhance loading speed, one of the pivotal determinants of user experience and engagement.
Optimizing images and text, one of the core elements of any website could thus mean the difference between a snappy, user-friendly site and a sluggish one that users bounce from. In essence, file compression isn’t just a tech tweak – it’s a meaningful step towards a more responsive, high-performing website that can significantly influence your site’s performance metrics and, ultimately, your business outcomes.
9. 25% of consumers said they expect page load times on their mobile to be almost as fast as on their desktop
Source: Kissmetrics
Mobile internet users expect their web browsing experience to be comparable to a desktop or laptop. And most people in the survey found their mobile phone loading time to be much slower than the desktop.
10. 57% of marketers have optimized images, videos, or other media files for faster page speed
In an Unbounce survey of 750 consumers and 395 marketers, they found that marketers were unsatisfied with their page speed, and here’s how they hope to make improvements:
Source: Unbounce
11. On average, webpages on mobile take 70.9% longer to load than on the desktop
According to the Tooltester report, the reason for this is desktops have better processors and typically have more reliable internet connection speeds than a mobile carrier’s data network. This causes the mobile to download pages slower, even when optimized for mobile.
Source: Tooltester
12. The average page speed of a first-page Google result is 1.65 seconds
Source: Backlinko
Backlinko analyzed 11.8 million Google search results to determine which factors correlated with first-page search results. In addition to this stat, they found no correlation between site speed and Google rank.
13. Around 50% of people would swap out animation for faster loading times
The Unbounce survey also found that visitors felt animation and video elements aren’t valuable if it slows the loading times. And a quarter of respondents said they’d give up images too. Consider cutting out elements that will slow your web pages down and don’t serve a purpose.
Source: Unbounce
The quicker your pages load, the better!
If these statistics demonstrate anything, it’s that across the board, slow-loading page speed leads to lower conversions and increased bounce rates.
Thankfully, there are several techniques that can help load your web pages load faster, including using smaller image files, eliminating unnecessary media, or promoting on Facebook to benefit from their “prefetch” functionality.
Furthermore, you can get free expert software advice, more statistics, and other resources to help grow your business from us here at Findstack.
