These days, it takes more than before to rank higher in Google’s search engine. Google’s now using Pagespeed Insights to determine how web pages perform. The tool is used to measure performance metrics, resulting in a score from 1 to 100. Using the tool on your websites shows how Google scores and ranks your site regarding desktop and mobile site visitors.

Many people are stunned after running the test and finding their site is not optimised for performance. With Google putting a higher emphasis on performance, finding these issues and fixing them is crucial. Doing so could help your site rank higher in the search engine, as a result.

In this article, we’ll cover the most common performance issues that cause Google to rank sites lower. We’ll also share how to fix these issues and optimise your site.

Performance & Google SEO Rankings

In the last year, Google has put more emphasis on PageSpeed Insights when ranking sites. Having relevant content, domain authority, and the right backlinks still matter. However, performance matters more now.

That’s all well and good, but what exactly is Google looking for when evaluating a site through PageSpeed Insights?

Core Web Vitals Metrics

PageSpeed Insights reviews a set of performance metrics called Core Web Vitals, which are:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): this metric measures the render time of the larges image or block of text visible within the viewport. LCP is measured in seconds. In general, the largest image is at the top of the page.

First Input Delay (FID): is a metric that measures the time from when a user first interacts with a page to the time when the browser actually begins processing event handlers in response to the interaction. In other words, this metric captures the user’s first perception of a site.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures the layout shift caused when a visible element changes its position from one rendered frame to the next. In other words, these are unexpected shifts caused by webpage elements, as the page is still loading.

The Main Causes of These Issues

Images and JavaScript are usually responsible for these PageSpeed Insights issues in the Core Web Vitals metrics. The tool reviews these issues and how they impact the Core Web Vitals metrics.

Images are one of the most common reasons for the poor performance of websites. Many times, the problem is that images are larger than they should be.

JavaScript issues are based on code that may block or slow page loading. With images, there’s something called “lazy loading images,” which may keep JavaScript blocks from loading. It’s best to avoid using third-party JavaScript libraries to manage loading images. The libraries can break a browser’s built-in image loading features. Lazy loading usually happens with pictures at the top of the page (above the fold). These images load slower as the browser starts to download them later. The reason is the browser first wants to execute the JavaScript.

Code that is larger or unnecessary is another common problem that causes pages to load more slowly. However, images are usually the problem when it comes to slow page loading for the PageSpeed Insights tool.

Four Image Issues Caught by PageSpeed Insights

When it comes to evaluating a page, the Largest Contentful Paint is the most important metric that highlights problems with images. PageSpeed Insights usually recommends the following tips for fixing these image problems:

• Properly size images
• Avoid large network payloads
• Efficiently encode images
• Service images in next-gen formats

Just in case you need further translation, here’s what the tips mean:

• Use the correct file format
• Apply the correct image compression
• Use the right display size
• Render the image
• Write responsive image code to select the right variant of the image

These tips work better for static websites, which don’t generate new pages or switch images frequently. But if you have a large, dynamic site with plenty of images, then this approach will not work well. For these sites, Google recommends automating the image process. However, doing so can cause some workflow issues, including:

• Requiring logic to account for different browser’s support for next-gen image formats
• Adds storage requirements due to a large increase in image variants
• Can increase code bloat and coding complexity
• May not adapt to different contexts
• Needs a separate CDN to increase delivery speeds
• Requires regular maintenance as new devices, breakpoints, image formats, markets, and practices develop

Steps to Create High-Performance Images

An automated CDN takes care of all the image problems found by PageSpeed Insights. Here are the steps a CDN should offer to create high-performance images:

Detect mobile devices: the CDN should detect a site user’s device model and technical capabilities. The CDN should detect:

• OS version
• Browser version
• Screen pixel density
• Screen resolution
• Support for next-gen image & video formats

Optimise images: an image CDN should use the device’s parameters to automatically resize, compress, and convert large images into optimized images that are in next-gen file formats (such as WebP and AVIF).

Deliver by CDN: image CDNs have edge servers that are strategically placed around the world. CDNs work to push the optimized images closer to the site visitor requesting them and deliver them immediately from the cash. This can increase the page’s speed by up to 50%.

Summing It Up: The Results of Improving LCP Metrics

When you work on the issues found by PageSpeed Insights, you’ll be amazed to find your site’s LCP metrics dramatically improved. Your score will also go up when using the PageSpeed Insights tool.

Because performance drives higher search engine rankings, taking the right steps to improve your site’s image performance will result in higher sales volumes and conversions. What’s more, you may also find your workflow is more streamlined and that CDN delivery costs are also lower.

By following the steps outlined in this article, your website will be optimized for performance like never before! Remember, performance makes a huge difference when it comes to ranking your site in keyword search engines!

The post Ways to Improve Your PageSpeed Insights Scores appeared first on Liam Pedley Design.