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Blog speed and performance should never be an afterthought. In fact, they are just as crucial as content quality and relevancy when it comes to modern blogging. But why? From SEO to increased web traffic, here are some reasons you need to optimize the speed of your website.
The User Experience (UX)
If you have been blogging for years, then you understand how important keywords are, and these were all you really needed for a high-ranking blog. Although keyword research is still a vital part of blogging, it isn’t the only method of ranking these days. Today, Google measures the overall user experience. This includes quick load times, which can be improved with clever methods. Take a look at this prefetching vs prerendering piece for performance insights.
SEO and Higher Page Ranking
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most powerful tools you have as a blogger. From on-page keywords to converting code for crawling, SEO can be pretty simple or very complex. However, it is a major factor when it comes to how, when, and why your blog is crawled and indexed. An SEO-friendly website is much more likely to be placed at a higher ranking, directly resulting in a wider reach for a larger audience and potentially more revenue.
Blog Speed and Performance for Monetization
Okay, so the point of a blog shouldn’t primarily be money. But as a full-time blogger, you need income. No matter the method you use, such as affiliate marketing or ad revenue, a faster site results in increased sales. A Portent study found that B2C eCommerce platforms that load in less than a second have a 2.5 times higher conversion rate than sites that load in five. So speed optimization and SEO are vital for your website and its ability to generate a substantial income.
Increased Website Traffic
With performance, speed, and SEO optimization comes the chance to boost almost every aspect that a successful website relies upon. One of the most effective benefits of a blog is traffic. More traffic signals to a speed engine and, indeed, users that you are doing something right. There are many ways to increase website traffic, but correct SEO and improved website performance are two of the most powerful for increasing organic (unpaid) visitors to your blog.
A Lower Bounce Rate
There are many things that signal to a search engine that you are getting it right, and there are also some that say something is wrong. One of these is the bounce rate. Bounce rate is when people leave your site, and is measured by landing page visits divided by total visitors. If the bounce rate is high, a search engine can see this as your blog being useless to a visitor. As a result, your blog is unlikely to reach a higher ranking until you optimize the blog for performance.
Summary
An improved user experience (for higher ranking) is one of the best reasons for SEO, blog speed, and performance improvements. Of course, higher performance usually means more traffic for greater monetization and can also contribute to lowering a blog’s bounce rate.
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