You’ve heard it before: a slow loading time can be deadly for your site. In fact, according to Google, conversions are directly correlated to loading times: and those conversions can fall by as much as 20% per second.
This is especially true for mobile sites, where consumers expect an easy, user-friendly experience. Google found that more than half of all visitors abandon a mobile page if it takes longer than three seconds to load.
Since most mobile pages load for an average of 15 seconds, that’s a whole lot of missed conversions. And considering that mobile browsing passed up desktop browsing way back in 2014, your mobile site is probably one of the main ways customers find you.
Fortunately, Google Ads just rolled out its new “mobile speed score” feature, designed to calculate the loading speed of your mobile pages and the corresponding conversion rates. If you have a Google Ads account, you can see your mobile speed score on the “landing pages” page.
The score uses a 10-point system, with 10 being the fastest loading time and 1 being the slowest. Based on your score, you can evaluate which pages on your mobile site need tweaking in order to load faster. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Images can make or break you
Everyone loves a clear, colorful image, and they can greatly enhance your site’s aesthetic element. But be careful: large, high-resolution images can significantly slow down your page’s loading time.
The solution? Compress or scale down your images specifically for mobile pages. You’ll use less of the consumer’s bandwidth—and increase your site’s loading time significantly.
Simplify, simplify, simplify
While it’s tempting to give your site a lot of bells and whistles in an effort to make it the most impressive one out there, it’s actually better for conversion to keep things simple. Not only will it improve your loading time, but it will give consumers a clearer, smoother path to follow. Plus, your sight may be even more eye-catching without all the clutter!
Redirects aren’t always your friend
Redirects can take a consumer from your old, outdated page to a new one. But they can also eat up a considerable chunk of loading time. To reduce that time, figure out how many redirects your site uses, then cut out as many as you can.
If you’re looking for a way to speed up your mobile site and improve the user experience, we can help. We’ll use our vast experience to help you craft a smoother, more user-friendly site with pages that load like clockwork.
To find out more, get in touch.
