Page load time is usually defined as the time it takes for a webpage to fully load in a browser showing all elements of a page. Does page load time matter for SEO? Here’s a question that has come up on my radar a few times over the last few months. In fact, Matt Cutts of Google recently spoke about it in one of his many blog videos (link below). So, with so many people wondering does the speed to load a page affect SEO, what is the answer? In short, the answer is yes, page load time does matter.

How Important is Page Load Time?
Okay, Matt Cutts affirmed that page load time is a factor in ranking a site, but how important is it when it comes to ranking in the SERPs? It’s apparent that while page load speed is collected and measured as part of Page Rank, (along with over 200 other variables). It is reasonable to suggest that this variable is a low priority or low/moderate variable – unless the speed is so slow that it affects the ability for Google to visit and collect data from your site. I personally visited plenty of web pages in many categories and went through them all keeping track of page load time. Many links on the first page were slower than pages on the second, third, fourth and fifth page of listings. In addition, I tried to take a pulse of what other SEO professionals and web developers were saying about this as well.

From watching the Matt Cutts video (link located below) and many other videos along with information regarding SEO released by Google and other search engines, the key point they try to drive into web developers and SEO/SEM professionals heads is that a quality built site that offers visitors the best web experience should be the goal when building a site. So, if your site is filled with unnecessary code, filled up with distracting media and difficult to navigate, not only will the user experience lack, but this will also be reflected in reduced rankings.
Watch the video here:

Page load time is usually defined as the time it takes for a webpage to fully load in a browser showing all elements of a page. Does page load time matter for SEO? Here’s a question that has come up on my radar a few times over the last few months. In fact, Matt Cutts of Google recently spoke about it in one of his many blog videos (link below). So, with so many people wondering does the speed to load a page affect SEO, what is the answer? In short, the answer is yes, page load time does matter.

How Important is Page Load Time?
Okay, Matt Cutts affirmed that page load time is a factor in ranking a site, but how important is it when it comes to ranking in the SERPs? It’s apparent that while page load speed is collected and measured as part of Page Rank, (along with over 200 other variables). It is reasonable to suggest that this variable is a low priority or low/moderate variable – unless the speed is so slow that it affects the ability for Google to visit and collect data from your site. I personally visited plenty of web pages in many categories and went through them all keeping track of page load time. Many links on the first page were slower than pages on the second, third, fourth and fifth page of listings. In addition, I tried to take a pulse of what other SEO professionals and web developers were saying about this as well.

From watching the Matt Cutts video (link located below) and many other videos along with information regarding SEO released by Google and other search engines, the key point they try to drive into web developers and SEO/SEM professionals heads is that a quality built site that offers visitors the best web experience should be the goal when building a site. So, if your site is filled with unnecessary code, filled up with distracting media and difficult to navigate, not only will the user experience lack, but this will also be reflected in reduced rankings.
Watch the video here:

Page load time is usually defined as the time it takes for a webpage to fully load in a browser showing all elements of a page. Does page load time matter for SEO? Here’s a question that has come up on my radar a few times over the last few months. In fact, Matt Cutts of Google recently spoke about it in one of his many blog videos (link below). So, with so many people wondering does the speed to load a page affect SEO, what is the answer? In short, the answer is yes, page load time does matter.

How Important is Page Load Time?
Okay, Matt Cutts affirmed that page load time is a factor in ranking a site, but how important is it when it comes to ranking in the SERPs? It’s apparent that while page load speed is collected and measured as part of Page Rank, (along with over 200 other variables). It is reasonable to suggest that this variable is a low priority or low/moderate variable – unless the speed is so slow that it affects the ability for Google to visit and collect data from your site. I personally visited plenty of web pages in many categories and went through them all keeping track of page load time. Many links on the first page were slower than pages on the second, third, fourth and fifth page of listings. In addition, I tried to take a pulse of what other SEO professionals and web developers were saying about this as well.

From watching the Matt Cutts video (link located below) and many other videos along with information regarding SEO released by Google and other search engines, the key point they try to drive into web developers and SEO/SEM professionals heads is that a quality built site that offers visitors the best web experience should be the goal when building a site. So, if your site is filled with unnecessary code, filled up with distracting media and difficult to navigate, not only will the user experience lack, but this will also be reflected in reduced rankings.
Watch the video here: