There are numerous reasons why it’s important to have a fast website. One of the most important reasons is to help you rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Having a website that performs well will also help you increase your conversions.
Defining a “Fast Load Time”
Kissmetrics conducted a study in which they discovered that the faster a website loads the more satisfied people are and the more likely they’ll stay to take a look around. Take a look at these statistics for a moment:
- 47% of visitors expect a website to load in under two seconds
- 40% of visitors will leave a website if it takes 3 seconds or more to load
To determine which of these categories your website falls into using Google’s free Page Speed Insights tool.
How Page Speed Affects Dental SEO
Studies have shown that more people use their smartphones to browse the internet instead of using a traditional desktop browser. This number continues to grow which is why you need to make sure you have a responsive website that engages your clients. Of course, having a fast website is also beneficial for your dental SEO in many ways.
Your Website will Rank Better on Google
Part of good dental SEO practices is having a fast website. This is because Google ranks slower loading websites lower than faster loading ones. Taking the time to improve your website’s performance here will increase the likelihood that Google will give you a higher ranking in the SERPs.
Your Bounce Rate will Decrease
Remember, statistics show that when your website takes too long to load visitors will probably leave. If you have a lot of people “bounce” from your website this will negatively impact how you rank in the SERPs since this is another factor that Google takes into consideration.
You’ll See More Conversions
A high bounce rate means you’ll be less likely to convert visitors into patients. This is because there aren’t many people visiting your website. It’ll also result in less traffic since you’ll be listed lower in the SERPs.
Tips for Improving Your Website’s Page Speed
Now that you have a better understanding of how good dental SEO plays an important role in helping you to create a fast website you may be wondering what steps you need to take.
Resize Your Images so They’re Optimized for the Web
One of the most common reasons for not having a fast website is that images are improperly optimized. Good dental SEO practice means reducing your images’ file size. Doing so will dramatically improve your website’s performance. For instance, if you reduce a 1MB image file to 100kb you’ll be able to use 10 images instead of one.
Use Image Tools
Anyone who isn’t tech-savvy should use a tool to help them optimize their images. One such tool is Kraken. With it, you’ll simply upload your image and it’ll be optimized for the various devices people use to view your website (e.g. mobile, tablet).
Use a Caching Tool
You should also make sure that you have a caching tool installed on your website. Doing so will have a dramatic impact on your website’s loading time. This is because the tool will load the other pages on your website before anyone clicks on them – something that’ll significantly reduce their download times.
The Bottom Line
Now that you understand the importance of having a fast website for your dental practice, you may wonder where you should start working towards improving this for your website. Since you already have enough going on while running your practice, consider leaving this job to the experts at Affordable Dental SEO in Clearwater and Pinellas County.