Site Tip · Getting found on Google

How Google grades your site

You may have heard that Google grades your website, and that is partly true. Beyond your words and photos, Google looks at how your site feels to use on a real phone. Slow, twitchy pages frustrate people, and those measurements have a name: Core Web Vitals.

Check one: how fast the main content appears

This measures how long it takes for the biggest thing on your screen to show up. That is usually a large photo or a big block of text near the top of the page.

Visitors do not care that the page is technically loading. They care when they can see something useful. The usual causes of slow results are huge photos and slow hosting.

• Resize and compress photos before uploading them.
• Avoid auto-playing background videos on the first screen.
• Ask whether your hosting is a good fit for your traffic.

Check two: how quickly the page reacts

When someone taps a button, opens a menu or starts typing in a form, the page should respond right away. If there is a pause, people tap again, get confused, and sometimes leave.

This is often slowed down by too many add-ons running at once, such as chat widgets, pop-ups and tracking tools. Each one asks the phone to do more work. Remove the ones you do not use.

Check three: does the page jump around

You have probably tried to tap a link just as the page shifted, and hit the wrong thing instead. That is what this check looks for: layout that moves while the page loads.

It is usually caused by images without a set size, ads or banners that load late, and fonts that change after the page appears. A developer can fix most of these by reserving space for each item before it loads.

How to test your own site for free

Open Google PageSpeed Insights, type in your page address, and run the test. You will see results for phones and for desktop computers. Look at the phone results first, since most local customers browse that way.

The report lists specific suggestions. You do not need to understand every line. Pick the top two or three and pass them to your web person. Test again after changes, and keep in mind that results can vary a little between runs.

Better scores cannot promise higher rankings, but a faster, steadier site is easier for customers to use. Modestius builds and fixes websites for small businesses if you want a second pair of eyes.

Questions owners ask

Do I need perfect scores?

No. Aim for a site that feels quick and steady on a phone, and fix the biggest items the report flags first.

Why do my scores change each time I test?

Connection speed, server load and other factors vary between tests, so small differences are normal.

Is PageSpeed Insights really free?

Yes. You paste in a page address and it gives you a report at no cost.