Why Should Every eCommerce Store Focus On Their Page Load Speed?

One of the biggest factors in improving conversion rates is page load speed.

And it’s even more of a factor on mobile devices where speeds and connections can vary greatly.

Not only is it obvious, slow loading website = frustration = users leave site, but several companies have made direct links from their load times to conversion rate:

According to a study by Google, as page load speed increases from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of bounce rates (users leaving the page) increases by 32%.

Walmart also conducted a study where they discovered that for every 1-second improvement in page speed, they experienced a 2% increase in conversions.

So why don’t eCom teams focus on or talk about it as much as they do with other conversion rate optimisation techniques?

I think it’s simply because it’s not as sexy or interesting.

Who want’s to talk about image compression when they can talk about an A/B tested landing page winner delivering 50% uplifts in conversion? Not many!

Just like conversion rate optimisation, it’s never-ending, there is no finish line. It’s just a continuous push forward with many set backs along the way.

Additionally, you can become quite unpopular with the rest of the team as you restrict any new app and code installations that undo your hard work and slow the site back down.

But it’s really important work.

And it can be quite easy to make big improvements early on, positively impacting your conversion rate whilst improving your users’ experience on your site.

If you don’t already factor page load speed into your optimisation strategies, then I urge you to add it. You won’t regret it.

Next up, I’ll talk through my approach to website load speed optimisation and how you can get started.