Posted on May 11, 2011 by Kevin Getch Google Analytics, already an invaluable web analysis tool, has added a feature for website owners to track the loading speed of their webpages, identify slow-loading pages, and analyze the effect it has on visitors. Here are some of the things that Google’s new Site Speed Report identifies for you: Which landing pages are slowest Traffic sources: Which campaigns correspond to faster page loads overall? How your pages’ load time may vary based on the users’ location Whether or not your site loads faster or slower for different browsers Your web pages’ load speeds are vitally important for two main reasons. First, when people use the web, their attention span and patience are hyper short. It only takes moments for them to lose interest in your website, so a page that takes just a few seconds longer to load can be the difference between a visitor and a closed browser. If you are interested in learning more about the next-gen version of Google Analytics called Google Analytics 4 (GA4) you can check out our guide. GA4 puts user engagement and experience first and is replacing the previous version of analytics in July 2023. There have been numerous studies that analyzed the page load speed as it correlates to sales conversions. As you might suspect, they all point towards a downward conversion trend. But keep in mind that this downward trend comes in mere second increments. Secondly, optimizing the loading speed of your website is one of many criteria Google uses to rank your website. Last year, Google announced that site speed is a consideration in their search ranking algorithms. The reason is in part to stay consistent with their position of offering websites that optimize the user experience. But remember, page loading speed is something that Google has a direct interest in as well. It means less work for the web crawlers and better performance with their AdSense program (since there would be more page viewing and less page closing).