How can I improve website speed and performance to boost SEO?

1. Why is website speed so important for SEO?

Google has clearly stated that website speed is one of the core factors affecting rankings .
Slow-loading websites not only lose visitors but also reduce the efficiency of search engine crawlers. Data shows:

• When page load time exceeds 3 seconds, the bounce rate can be increased to 53% .

• For every second of delay in loading, the conversion rate drops by an average of 7% .

Fast websites can:
improve user experience,
reduce bounce rate,
increase crawler frequency,
and improve overall SEO ranking potential.

II. 8 Core Methods for Optimizing Website Speed

Optimize image size and format

• Using WebP or AVIF formats provides high compression rates without loss of image quality.

• Tools used: TinyPNG, Squoosh, Imagify.

• loading="lazy"Enable lazy loading in HTML by using the `--lazy` attribute.

Enable browser caching

Caching allows pages to load faster on subsequent visits. Add the following
to your .htaccessNginx configuration:

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

CDNs (such as Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, and Akamai) can distribute content to nodes around the world, allowing visitors to obtain resources from the nearest server and reducing latency .

Compress and merge CSS/JS files

• Use Gzip or Brotli for compression .

• Merge multiple script files to reduce the number of HTTP requests.

• deferUse lazy loading or deferred loading for non-essential scripts async.

Optimize database performance (for WordPress / WooCommerce)

• Regularly clean up redundant data (such as revisions, drafts, and spam comments).

• Use a high-performance database engine, such as InnoDB .

• Install database optimization plugins (WP-Optimize, Advanced DB Cleaner).

Improve server response speed

• Use a faster host (such as NVMe SSD + LiteSpeed).

• Enable HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 protocol support.

• Enable OPcache (PHP acceleration).

Check and optimize Core Web Vitals

Google's three core web page metrics:

• LCP (Maximum Content Rendering) : Should be < 2.5 seconds

• FID (First Input Delay) : Should be < 100 milliseconds

• CLS (Cumulative Layout Offset) : Should be < 0.1

Use PageSpeed ​​Insights or Lighthouse for optimization suggestions.

Enable lazy loading and deferred loading techniques

• Lazy loading of images, videos, or iframes.

• WordPress users can install a3 Lazy Load or WP Rocket to achieve this.

III. Mobile Performance Optimization

Google uses mobile-first indexing .
Please ensure:

• Use responsive design.

• Font size ≥ 16px;

• The spacing between touch elements is sufficient;

• Avoid pop-up windows obscuring content.

IV. Monitoring and Continuous Optimization

Optimization is not a one-time task; regular monitoring is recommended.

• Google Search Console (Speed ​​Report)

• GTmetrix

• Pingdom

• Cloudflare Analytics

Summarize

Improving website speed isn't just about getting higher scores; it's about enhancing the overall user experience and conversion rates .
Through image optimization, caching, compression, CDN, database cleanup, and tuning core webpage metrics, you can significantly improve website loading speed by 30%–70%, leading to more stable and higher search engine rankings.