Here, we will share everything you need to know to understand the connection between page speed and eCommerce. Moreover, we will share tips to improve conversions.
After reading this article, you will be able to improve your eCommerce website speed and increase your sales and overall revenue. Let’s quickly take a look at its importance first before we get into the details.
The Importance Of Site Speed In eCommerce
eCommerce site speed is more than just a technical issue. It's an essential user experience factor. That’s why it is a ranking factor for websites as well. Faster websites have higher chances of ranking than slow ones because they provide a better user experience. A good user experience makes returning users, which increases the chances of purchase.
When users land on your website, they look for quick and easy navigation. Slow load times affect their flow and make them frustrated. The bounce rate for pages that take more than three seconds to load can increase by over 30%. For eCommerce businesses, this loss in traffic is huge because it means fewer conversions and less revenue.
Mobile Users
More than half of the eCommerce traffic comes from mobile devices. That’s why mobile eCommerce performance is essential. Mobile shoppers want quick access to complete their purchases. A slow mobile site can cause a higher bounce rate and affect your sales and revenue. That’s why website speed optimization for mobiles is even more essential nowadays.
How Does Page Speed Affect Conversion Rate?
The connection between page speed and conversion rate is undeniable. Several studies have proven how a small improvement in page speed can increase eCommerce conversions and overall revenue.
This is because visitors are more likely to stay and explore more pages when a website loads quickly. It ultimately increases the chances of purchase. However, when the website is slow, and causes lag, the visitors immediately close it. That's why eCommerce website speed optimization is considered so important. Let’s understand it by looking at some factors that play an essential role in it.
User Experience and Trust
User experience and trust are closely related to each other. A slow-loading site makes you look unprofessional. Users don't trust such sites easily. They hesitate to provide sensitive information like payment details to them.
Lost Sales
Cart abandonment is one of the main issues that concern online retailers quite much. It simply implies that the shopper could not complete his purchase.
Just think of a situation when you spent a lot of time choosing products to face errors while checking out. According to recent data, 18% of shoppers abandon carts due to slow websites.
SEO Ranking
Google has added page speed to its ranking algorithms. A faster website helps you rank in search engine results. Higher rankings mean a larger audience and a larger audience means more customers. As the number of customers increases, your overall revenue increases and your business grows quickly.
What Page Speed Metrics to Measure to Improve Conversions?
You need to consider several metrics to increase your eCommerce website conversion rate. We have shared the 5 most important metrics below. Let’s check these out.
First Contentful Paint (FCP)
The first on our list is the first contentful paint. It measures the time it takes for the first content to be displayed to users. It is essential because it is the first response to a user against his search.
The recommended FCP by Google is 1.8 seconds or less. It gives the user the impression that the page is about to be loaded. A faster FCP creates a better first impression and keeps users engaged.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
The next page speed metric is LCP. It represents the time it takes for the largest visible element on a page to load, like an image, heading, etc. Google recommends an LCP under 2.5 seconds for a good user experience. Anything above that is considered negative. It is very frustrating, especially for eCommerce customers who want to look at product images.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
CLS measures how much content shifts around while a page is loading. It is usually due to ads, custom fonts, images, videos or unstable layouts. It can cause accidental clicks and poor user experience. The users avoid such websites, which eventually reduce your sales. 0.1 or less CLS is considered good by Google.
Time to First Byte (TTFB)
TTFB means the time a browser takes to receive the first byte of data from the server. A slow TTFB indicates that the server is sluggish, which can lead to longer loading times. Optimizing your server’s performance will improve TTFB and overall load times.
Time to Interactive (TTI)
TTI measures the time it takes for the page to become interactive. It is the time between the first byte of data being received and the user can interact with the page.
Tips to Improve Your eCommerce Website Speed
Lastly, here are some practical tips to improve your website’s speed and increase sales. You will see better results after implementing these website performance optimization strategies. Let’s see what these are.
Optimize Images
Images are essential in page speed and are a key part of eCommerce websites. Use modern image formats like WebP and compress images to reduce file sizes without compromising quality. Apply lazy loading so images only load when visible to the user. After applying these strategies, you’ll see a notable difference in overall page speed.
Apply Browser Caching
Browser caching stores frequently used resources like CSS, JavaScript, and images in the user’s browser. It reduces the number of requests to the server. As a result, the website loads very quickly for repeated users and improves their overall browsing experience.
Prioritize Above-the-Fold Content
Above the fold content is the content users see at first glance when the website loads without scrolling. Quick loading of above-the-fold content will help users interact with something until the rest of the page loads in the background. It reduces overall wait time and improves user engagement.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
CDN distributes your content across a network of servers located around the world. It reduces the latency by delivering content from the nearest server. A CDN is essential, especially if you have a global eCommerce website. Despite their location, international visitors will get much faster load times with this.
Enable Compression
Compressing can also help you to improve the page speed. Compress files like CSS and JavaScript to reduce their size. GZIP compression is a very popular method that can help to reduce file sizes and optimize bandwidth usage.
Want To Improve Your eCommerce Website Speed?
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