As of early 2010, Google announced that it was taking into account website speed as a ranking factor. Although not necessarily a major factor, a slow website does have knock-on effects for many other algorithmic elements associated with user experience.
With the increase in computer hardware and connection speed, many Internet users now find slow-loading websites intolerable as they are becoming more and more used to receiving the information they require almost instantaneously.
The most recent statistics indicate that a page load speed of anything above 2 seconds can lead to:
An increase in bounce rate (a visitor immediately leaving the page)
A reduction in average time on site
Lower website conversions
This final point is particularly worrying for us as a decrease in conversions translates into a loss in sales through our Magento store!
Google (and other search engines) understands the impact that the speed of a website has on visitors. Their primary goal...