News
By: Team WTI | Date: November 12, 2019
Categories: Web Maintenance, Website Design Articles,
Tags: Chrome, Google, Slow Website,
We’ve talked before about the importance of site speed. If a website or page takes too long to load, the user (potential customer) will go to another, quicker site. By “too long,” studies say this is about 3 seconds. This means you don’t have much time to play with it. Slow sites can cost you customers and conversions.
According to a blog post from the Google Chrome team, Google is looking to apply a badge to websites that load slowly. The Chrome team states, “[t]his may take a number of forms, and we plan to experiment with different options to determine which provides the most value to our users.”
In brief, the badge would highlight sites that are designed in such a way that they load slowly. The attributes that Google will look at include historical load latencies, device hardware, and network connectivity. So, If a site is deemed too slow by the Google checklist, there are a couple of ways that Google is looking to warn Chrome users.
The Chrome team says that they are experimenting with either a splash screen or a colored loading bar that would be green for fast sites and, we’re assuming, red to alert the user to a slow site.
Furthermore, the Chrome team is working with other Google teams to “explore labeling the quality of experiences at Google.” Their end goal is to set the bar for what makes up a good user experience and is something that all of their developers can use.
As of this writing, no information has been shared regarding when the new badging system will appear. Google unveiled its plans at the Chrome Dev Summit in mid-November with a lot of vague information. Most likely, Google is looking for feedback from web developers before they launch the system.
If you’re not sure if your site is running fast enough, give Team WTI a call. We can test the speed of your test and work with you to ensure your site isn’t branded a slowpoke by Google.
Andy Snyder | Mississippi Valley Fair
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