A lot of things could cost you in the world of websites and internet business. From poor content sinking your rankings on Google to bad reviews.
But out of all the things that could go wrong with your HVAC website, site speed is the most expensive.
It’s like an HVAC unit with a dirty filter. You stop getting the results you want eventually.
But why is site speed important? Today we’re going to talk about that.
HVAC Website Site Speed Determines Your Google Ranking
Even if you aren’t up to date on search engine optimization, visibility is still important on Google. And if your site is slow, Google is ready to punish it.
And even mobile website speed, not previously considered, is going to be a Google ranking factor.
Why is ranking on Google a big deal? Well, there’s a saying in SEO: “If you want to hide a dead body, try the second page of Google.”
People don’t typically search past the first page of Google. And if you’re not on the first page of a relevant Google search string, you won’t be found.
The faster your website, the more likely it will rank higher on Google search. There are a ton of other factors that go into Google’s ranking, but site speed is one of the top.
People Don’t Have Patience
If you want to secure leads on your website, you want people to stick around long enough to decide they want your service.
But if your website is slow, they’ll just head out the door and find someone else for their furnace repair.
This is called bounce rate. It’s the rate at which people “bounce” out of your website.
If people stick around to see what you have to offer, this lowers your bounce rate. A low bounce rate is what you should aim for.
But if your website is slow, your bounce rate is sure to be high. And you’ll see fewer customers and even fewer leads. But how fast does your site need to be to keep people interested?
You have mere seconds to catch the attention of users. And 0.1 seconds should be your goal for load speed.
This makes things seem instantaneous. But even if you can’t manage that kind of speed, you need to keep load times under ten seconds.
Even a few seconds of delay will ensure your possible lead will start thinking about something else.
What Causes Slow Speeds?
Anything from slow servers to poor connections could cause a slow HVAC website. But there are a few things you can control on your end.
It’s tempting to use all the widgets and plugins available when building your website. But some of these things will slow down your site.
There’s a balance between making your site look snazzy and building a fast and functioning site.
Services like WordPress include simple default themes that look wonderful and keep your site fast.
If you’re looking to monitor your website speed and diagnose what’s causing it to choke, check out our awesome tools!
