Over the past year many users across the internet have been reporting coming across a new “slow” label that Google seems to be testing in their search results. It has so far only been observed on mobile devices using Android, but depending on what kinds of results Google receives they could choose to expand it.
What is it?
It’s no secret that Google uses website performance as a ranking factor for SEO. The company is now taking a step further by adding the slow label to websites that are performing unacceptably slow. This includes streaming sites like youtube to show if a video will load slowly. If your website does not meet the performance standards Google has set, you could find this damaging label showing up in the search results for your own site.
Image source: The Android Soul
So far, Google has not publicly disseminated much information about the slow label apart from one spokesperson saying, “We’re always experimenting.”
What does this mean for website performance?
Excellent website performance is a key component to not only a thriving site, but also a thriving business. Every second your site fails to load is another second that your customers could be looking elsewhere. If this label is attributed to your website in search results it could turn droves of potential customers away without them ever seeing your page.
If you haven’t paid close attention to website performance in the past, now is the time to act. The question is, what kind of website speeds deserve a branding like the one Google is testing? No one knows yet, but current industry standards dictate that a website should load within 2 seconds; anything slower than that and you risk losing customers and business.
The bright side?
The one good thing this label can do is notify you that your website is performing slow when you would otherwise have no idea. As the internet is getting faster expectations are being risen. Google has always tried to garnish a better, faster, and more organized internet. The administration of these labels could help notify unknowing websites that they’re slow and give them the motivation to increase their performance.
There is a better option, however. Uptrends provides website performance monitoring so you can rest easy knowing that your site is running full speed 24 hours a day. We’ll send an alert if performance drops below a threshold that you can set and customize.
Final thoughts
Many factors go into determining website performance. You can optimize your web pages as much as possible, but many times the internet connection of the user will be the biggest determining factor. With Uptrends, you can check your website in real time from over 150 locations around the world. You’ll never have to be surprised with downtime or find out from a customer that a slow label has appeared next to your website in search results. If you’re interested, you can try us today free for 30 days!
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