How to achieve a high PageSpeed Insights score using the tools we used to get great results. It starts by choosing a fast hosting provider and a website builder that can pass the test.
Google has announced that a new ranking factor will be starting in 2021. In order to achieve a high test score you have to provide a better user experience when people are visiting your website.
You will need to fix the main core web vitals that Google says offer a better user experience.
They have done extensive research and found that you will have a faster upload score especially when it comes to mobile by following their guidelines.
We already know that mobile search is outpacing desktop search. Every website is different and some people are looking for quick fixes so they do not have to mess with any coding.
Here is what we know. Most people either choose WordPress or their favorite drag and drop site builder.
We use both and this website uses the WP platform.
It all starts with a good WordPress theme and great hosting. We are currently using the Astra Theme for this site (Mobile Biz Buzz).
Our site could get a higher score because there is still improvements and opportunities we could take advantage of.
Some of you may be using a simple drag and drop site builder and cannot get the score you need.
Lab Data Used To Get A Better PageSpeed Insights Score
When you run a test from Google’s PageSpeed Insights you will get scored in 6 major areas. From those 6 key lab data tests your page will also get an overall number score.
Go for a green score in the nineties but if you score in the eighties you still aren’t doing bad.
You will get a score for both desktop and mobile.
As you can see this site is in the 90’s for both. You may notice that during the next few weeks our score will fluctuate due to testing different plugins.
Here are a list of the 6 major lab data key points you want to concentrate on.
- First Contentful Paint
- Speed Index
- Largest Contentful Paint
- Time To Interactive
- Total Blocking Time
- Cumulative Layout Shift
You’ll notice a blue flag next to 2 core web vitals.
Those 2 items are Largest Contentful Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift.
What does all of this mean in simple terms?
It’s Google’s way of setting standardized guidelines measuring what the user experience would be like if they visited that particular page or post.
In other words, how fast does your page load before it is ready for your visitors to interact with that page. Each page/post on your site will get a different score.
Hot Tip: Every page, article, or post that you set up on your website deserves a high PageSpeed Insights score so that content will have a better chance of ranking in google’s search engine.
Simple solution is to run a speed test on each blog post that you write and any pages you produce.
Google Provides Opportunities To Pass The Test
You can pass the test if you follow the recommendations that Google provides. You can find these suggestions listed under opportunities.
Look into these opportunities because they are key to providing a better user experience when someone visits your website. Some may take a little time and work.
These opportunities will help you achieve a faster upload speed for your site.
Hot Tip: Make them a priority because you need to improve on these areas so you can get a passing score.
Once you have the opportunities that Google suggested under control you can move on to the next area.
Diagnostics is the next place to concentrate on although it may not have an effect on your score.
All of these are listed under your site score. You may have to use plugins if your using WordPress if your not into coding or familiar with html, css, or js.
Google does provide a section to learn more or a recommendation.
Sometimes you may even need to contact your support department to help you out.
Now if your using a drag and drop builder you most definatly will need supports help. That is if they can even fix your opportunities that are listed.
That is another reason we recommend Builderall for responsive drag and drop website builders. They will help you get a passing score.
Builderall 4.0 is even going to be better and it will launch 1 October 2020.
Finally a simple alternative for WordPress. Not only will you receive an outstanding PageSpeed Insight score but you’ll have all the digital marketing tools you need to market your business.
Simple Solution To Passing The Speed Insights Test
First off we chose one of the fastest hosting companies so that our website pages would upload quickly. There are many hosting companies and people that offer reviews of these companies.
But the real deal is that they do not perform up to standards set forth by Google’s scoring system.
We use 2 different hosting companies for our websites.
One is for this website which is using the WordPress platform and the other is our favorite extremely fast drag and drop responsive website builder.
We could of moved this site over to Builderall because they also host WP sites but we did not want to disturb any of our articles ranking power we were already receiving.
Builderall is our clear choice for a drag and drop responsive website builders because it is the only one we could find that you can achieve a high PageSpeed Insights score.
In addition, Builderall also offers video hosting, WordPress hosting, has over 35 digital marketing tools, a sales funnel club, and plenty of marketing training for free.
Today we want to concentrate on website speed so we can show you how to get your biz buzzing and get a better ranking score.
The mobile score and the desktop score. Try to get into the green (90’s) on both especially mobile.
Most websites can usually get a higher score on their desktop versions. But when it comes to the mobile score, that is when you will find many websites failing miserably.
If you are knowledgeable enough to fix these issues by messing with the coding then rightfully do so.
Hot Tip: Most business owners want a more simple DIY solution. We recommend Builderall or WordPress.
Is There A Drag And Drop Website Builder That Can Pass The Test?
The only drag and drop website builder we could find that scored in the nineties was Builderall.
Their turbo charged responsive Cheetah website builder is extremely fast and they offer a large amount of digital marketing tools to go along with their platform.
What we found out was that none of these sites could even score in the green on the PageSpeed Insights test on the mobile version.
Mobile speed is a must with everyone carrying smartphones. You better expect to lose many visitors to your site if you have a slow loading website. Why would you want to lose traffic?
Hot Tip: Make sure you check the speed of both desktop and the mobile version of your website. Most sites can get a descent score on desktop but when it comes to mobile they fail.
Some people claim that these are some of the best site builders but can they pass the test?
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Weebly
- Duda
You can find a few WordPress hosting companies that put you in the green scoring area but you may need to add a few plugins to help you accomplish the mission. Like we said earlier, choose a fast loading theme.
Test The Website Speed Of Your Hosting Provider Before You Buy Their Product. You would think that since they promote speedy upload speeds that they themselves should be able to pass the test, wouldn’t you agree?
How To Pass Google’s Speed Test With WordPress?
The first thing you need is extremely fast WordPress hosting. Don’t fall for the cheap hosting providers or you will pay the price later by losing customers.
Like we mentioned earlier we are using the Astra theme for this website. There are many other themes but most are not coded properly to get you the speed you need.
A while back we tested over 100 WordPress themes and found very few that passed the test. You also need a blazing fast WordPress hosting provider. Choose one wisely or again you lose traffic.
There are also a few plugins that you may need. You need a caching plugin.
We also recommend a plugin for the images on your site. This seems to be a major problem when trying to get a faster site speed.
Another big problem is render blocking. We are currently testing the hummingbird plugin for this issue.
Here are a few that we recommend and I’m sure you can find more. We are only listing and using free plugin versions for WordPress.
- W3 Total Cache
- Hummingbird
- Autoptimize
- Async JavaScript
- Smush
- EWWW Image Optimizer
- Lazy Load for Videos
After testing these plugins we will let you know the results of the highest score and we will update this article.
Hot Tip: So far just using W3 Total Cache, EWWW Image Optimizer, and Lazy Load for Videos are giving us a passing grade.
You may have your favorites or plugins that have fixed some of your speed issues and you can feel free to list them in the comments section to help out other entrepreneurs and fellow business owners.