How to Check Your Page Speed Score

When it comes to improving your website's online presence, one of the most critical factors to consider is its loading speed, which can make or break user experience and search engine rankings. By checking your page speed score, you'll be able to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes to increase user engagement and drive more traffic to your site. To get started, you'll need a reliable tool to measure your website's speed - there are several options available online, including free services such as Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Once you've chosen a tool, simply enter the URL of your website and click the 'Analyze' button to receive an instant report on your page load times. The report will provide detailed feedback on various aspects of your

Getting Started

Key Considerations

When evaluating your page speed score, there are several key considerations to keep in mind. Firstly, it's essential to ensure that all images on your website are optimised for web use, as compressed and resized images can significantly improve load times. Additionally, consider the file type and compression level of each image - JPEGs are generally a good choice, but PNGs may be more suitable for graphics-heavy content. You should also assess the size and complexity of your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, as these can greatly impact page load time. Finally, consider implementing browser caching and minifying code to further reduce file sizes and improve performance.

Practical Steps

To start checking your page speed score, you can use a variety of online tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom. Simply enter your website's URL into the tool and click 'Analyze'. The tool will then provide you with a score out of 100, along with suggestions for improvement based on factors such as image compression, file size, and HTML optimisation. You can also use these tools to identify areas where your website is slow and take steps to address them. By following the recommendations provided by these tools, you should be able to improve your page speed score over time.

Reading a Page Speed Report

After running a page through a tool such as PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix, focus on the Core Web Vitals rather than the single headline score. Largest Contentful Paint tells you how quickly the main content appears, Cumulative Layout Shift measures unexpected movement, and Interaction to Next Paint reflects responsiveness. The opportunities list ranks fixes by likely impact, so start at the top rather than trying to solve everything at once.

A Worked Fix

A homepage scores poorly because a large hero image loads at full resolution. The report flags "properly size images" as the biggest opportunity. Compressing and correctly sizing that one image, then serving it in a modern format, can cut load time by a second or more and lift the score noticeably. One targeted change often does more than a dozen minor tweaks.

Speed Checklist

• Compress and correctly size images before uploading them.
• Enable caching and, where possible, a content delivery network.
• Minify and defer non-critical CSS and JavaScript.
• Test on both mobile and desktop, as scores differ significantly.

Field Data Versus Lab Data

Speed tools show two kinds of measurement. Lab data is a single controlled test, useful for debugging because it is repeatable. Field data comes from real visitors over time and is what Google actually uses to assess page experience. A page can score well in the lab yet struggle in the field if real users are on slower connections or older phones. When you make a change, confirm it in the lab first for a quick signal, then watch the field data in Search Console over the following weeks to see whether real-world performance genuinely improved.

EnlightenIt provides actionable advice and technical guidance to help webmasters and small business owners improve their on-page SEO readiness, ensuring better visibility in search engine results. — Editor, EnlightenIt