Genx Notes

PageSpeed Insights

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Genx

in Glossary

PageSpeed Insights is a tool developed by Google that analyzes the performance of a webpage and provides suggestions for improvement. It evaluates both desktop and mobile versions of a website, offering insights into how fast the page loads and how efficiently it performs. By providing a detailed report, it helps web developers and site owners optimize their pages to enhance the user experience and search engine ranking.

Key Features of PageSpeed Insights:

  1. Performance Scoring:
  • The tool provides a performance score ranging from 0 to 100, where a higher score indicates better performance.
  • Scores are categorized as:
    • 90-100: Fast
    • 50-89: Average
    • 0-49: Slow
  1. Core Web Vitals:
  • These are important metrics that measure the user experience in terms of loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. The three main Core Web Vitals are:
    • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance. A good LCP occurs within 2.5 seconds.
    • First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity. A good FID is less than 100 milliseconds.
    • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability. A good CLS score is less than 0.1.
  1. Opportunities and Diagnostics:
  • PageSpeed Insights provides suggestions to improve performance, such as:
    • Optimizing images.
    • Minimizing render-blocking resources (JavaScript/CSS).
    • Leveraging browser caching.
    • Reducing server response times.
  • The Diagnostics section gives additional information on aspects like network payloads, JavaScript execution time, and more.
  1. Field Data vs. Lab Data:
  • Field Data: Real-world data gathered from users in the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). It reflects actual user experience on the page.
  • Lab Data: Simulated data collected on a controlled environment using Lighthouse, a website performance tool. Lab data helps diagnose issues but may not reflect real-world conditions.
  1. SEO Impact:
  • Page speed is a ranking factor in Google’s search algorithm, and a high score in PageSpeed Insights can improve your website’s SEO.

How to Use PageSpeed Insights:

  1. Visit the tool at PageSpeed Insights.
  2. Enter the URL of the webpage you want to analyze.
  3. Click Analyze.
  4. Review the performance score, Core Web Vitals, and the suggestions provided to improve the page’s loading speed and overall performance.

By following the recommendations provided by PageSpeed Insights, you can boost the speed of your website, which can lead to better user experiences, higher engagement rates, and improved SEO rankings.

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