When it comes to SEO, page load time isn’t just a “nice to have”, it’s a major ranking factor. Search engines like Google want users to have a smooth, frustration-free experience. If your site loads slowly, chances are people won’t stick around, and that hurts your rankings.
The Bounce Effect
Ever clicked a link, waited a few seconds too long, and just gave up and hit the back button? That’s a bounce. A slow-loading page leads to a higher bounce rate because users lose interest fast. When people leave without engaging, that bounce tells search engines your page wasn’t valuable or relevant. Not great for SEO.
Engagement and Clicks Go Down
Loading speed also affects your engagement rate. If users actually get to your content, they’re more likely to click, read, and explore. But if it takes forever to load, that chance goes out the window. Lower engagement can lead to lower click-through rates (CTR), and both metrics feed into how well your page ranks over time.
It’s Not Just About the Pageview
Sure, getting a pageview is step one, but what happens next matters more. Are users staying for the full session? Are they clicking through to other pages or bouncing right out? Speed plays into all of that. Whether someone came from a search engine or a referral link, a fast experience keeps them engaged and tells search engines your content is worth showing.
Bottom line: a faster site isn’t just better for your visitors—it’s better for your SEO.
6 Responses
Good job! Thinking about how much speed plays into SEO is really important and was interesting to read about.
Great post! The Bounce effect was super interesting and intriguing to read about, and I never knew they took into account the time they took on the site and then left.
Good work on this post! I think you made some great points, and I thought it was interesting how you pointed out that loading speed effects a user engagement experience which ultimately could make them return to your site.
This is such a good breakdown. I’ve definitely bounced from slow sites before without thinking twice—never realized how much that affects SEO. It really is wild how speed impacts everything from engagement to rankings.
Great post! I totally agree, page speed makes a huge difference. It’s interesting how something as simple as load time can impact bounce rate and overall engagement so much. Definitely something I’ll pay more attention to on my own site.
As a user a slow site immedieatly bounces me away. doesnt help that my phone is old and slow. I think microsoft clarity can help notice if users are leaving quickly because things take a while to load or not