Is your website speed holding you back?

For decades now, we have had literally been punched in the face with the message that ‘speed kills’. The message is deeply entrenched in the Kiwi psyche, so much so that you ask anyone what it means and they’ll basically be able to re-enact the last few speeding ads they saw or heard.

However, in this respect, we’re not talking about speeding on the roads. And, unlike on the roads, where speeding is illegal, the faster you are on the digital roads the better. In fact the slower your business is on the internet, the quicker you’ll kill your business. But, why does speed matter?

First impressions count

It’s not just on the dating scene where first impressions count. In this increasingly digital world, where you are found on the internet before anywhere else, a slow website, is a killer.

Potential customers are no longer walking by your shop front, peering in and deciding whether or not to engage with you. Instead, they are checking your website out. If your website loads in the blink of an eye, great first impression. If it lags behind, you’re starting behind the eight-ball.

From a psychological point of view, fast websites are portrayed as trustworthy, industry-leading and generally more professional. On the other hand, slow sites are perceived as unsafe and untrustworthy — regardless of whether that is true or not.

Don’t get painted with the second brush because while one visitor may not be a massive deal, over time that one visitor could turn into hundreds and even thousands.

We love Speed

In this digital world, consumers have become accustomed to having everything available at their fingertips, and not waiting for it. We want everything now, now, now! And, if we have to wait, chances are we’re not coming back. In fact, 40% of website users will completely abandon your website if it takes longer than three seconds to load.

This love of speed increases drastically when we are on our mobile devices. And really, this is a no-brainer. In today’s business environment, where everyone is always on the move, the way we interact with websites is changing as well.

An increasing number of Kiwi’s are choosing to use their mobiles as the primary source of using the internet. And, think about how we’re using it, we on the move, waiting for meetings and looking for immediate answers. Thus, speed is imperative.

Enhance UX

Nowaday’s, every market is heavily saturated. With so many options available, businesses constantly need to be looking at ways to be more attractive to their audience, and user experience is truly one of those means.

At the heart of UX, it’s about creating an outstanding experience that a customer can not receive anywhere else. For your website, this boils down to providing the answer to your visitor’s questions and getting it to them quickly. Thus, you need to create a website that is capable of doing this. Because the moment a visitor gets confused or frustrated with your site, there’s no coming back.

Is it killing conversions?

As we’ve mentioned above, slow websites are killing your ability to attract and hold onto people that are seeking your website or an answer to their problems. Now, regardless of how good your product or services are if people are abandoning your website before it even loads, that is going to impact your sales.

Now, if you are a small or medium sized business that is reliant on generating sales through your website, the future of your business could suffer.

You’ll slide down the rankings

Now, if we’ve got to this point and are still questioning why speed is important, go ask Google. Google has made it well known that their ultimate mission is to ensure the internet is simple, easy to use, accessible and faster than Usain Bolt.

In fact, Google’s aim to make the inter-web as fast as possible is so important to them, that website speed now ranks as one of the signals used by their algorithms for search engine ranking.

We all know how important those search engine rankings are in terms of driving traffic to your website. While site speed it isn’t the make or break point, it’s apart of the overall algorithm, and every little bit counts. However, if your site is akin to watching paint dry, that is when you’re in trouble.

People are impatient beings. Our attention spans are shrinking but our expectations are increasing. Businesses need to recognise this and adapt how they communicate and interact with their target audience.

From our point of view, your business website should be the first element you look at as you finetune your presence. Everything from the UI/UX, speed, content and search engine rankings are absolutely vital to your business’ long term success.