How to Improve Website Speed and User  Experience

When we talk about websites, “page speed” almost always comes up. And it makes sense — nobody likes waiting around for a site to load. Think about it: if you click on a page and it takes forever, you bounce. That’s potential revenue and relationships walking away..

But here’s the thing: page speed isn’t just about making your site “faster.” It’s about understanding how performance is measured and knowing which areas actually matter to your visitors and your marketing strategy.

So what do these metrics really tell us? Let’s dig in.

Understanding Page Speed Metrics

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix, or Lighthouse give you a score. That’s fine, but the real value is in what’s underneath. They break down metrics like:

• First Contentful Paint (FCP): How quickly something—text, a logo, anything—shows up on screen.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): When the biggest piece of content (like a hero image or headline) is fully visible.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): That annoying “jump” when stuff moves around because images or ads load late.
• Time to Interactive (TTI): How long until your site is actually usable — not just visible.
  

Each one highlights a different part of the user experience. If your hero section takes 5 seconds to load, or if a button moves right when someone tries to click, that’s friction. And friction kills conversions.

Where Websites Slow Down (and How to Fix It)

Most performance issues show up again and again across websites. The good news? There are quick wins:

• Large image files: A 5MB photo might look sharp, but it makes visitors wait (and bounce). Compress your images and use next-gen formats like WebP.
• Unoptimized code: Extra CSS, JS, or HTML adds drag. This is where “minify” comes in (more on that in a sec).
• Too many plugins or scripts: Every plugin or tracking pixel adds requests. Be picky about what you actually need.
• Slow hosting: Sometimes the problem isn’t your site—it’s your server. Cheap hosting = slow delivery.
• No caching: If your site rebuilds from scratch on every load, it’s going to feel sluggish. Caching stores prebuilt versions for quicker access.
  

A Quick Note About “Minifying” Code

I was talking with a partner today and shared something that surprises a lot of people: those “minify CSS/JS” warnings aren’t always a big red flag.

Minifying—stripping spaces, comments, and unnecessary code—usually helps performance. But it can backfire. I’ve seen animations break, layouts don’t render correctly, and custom CSS stop working because the process was too aggressive.

So when a tool tells you to “minify,” treat it as a suggestion, not a rule. Test before and after. If something breaks, don’t chase the perfect score. The real goal is a site that feels smooth for your users—not one that just checks boxes in an audit.

Why Page Speed Matters for Marketing

This is the part a lot of people underestimate: a faster site doesn’t just make users happy—it’s a core part of your marketing strategy.

• Better SEO: Google factors page speed into rankings. Faster sites have a better shot at showing up higher.
• Lower bounce rates: If people leave because your site takes forever, no campaign can save that click.
• Higher conversions: Smooth, quick pages make it easier for visitors to buy, sign up, or fill out forms.
• Stronger brand trust: A site that feels slow or “broken” chips away at credibility. Performance = confidence.

And here’s the kicker: every slow page also wastes ad spend. You’re paying for clicks that never convert. That’s why page speed isn’t just a “tech thing”—it’s tied directly to growth and how people see your brand.

Keep Speed in Perspective

Improving your site’s page speed is about balance. Use the metrics as a guide, not a punishment. Fix the obvious stuff—images, hosting, scripts—and be smart about the rest. Sometimes chasing that “perfect 100” is more work than it’s worth.

What really matters is how your site feels to real users. That’s what keeps people engaged, coming back, and ultimately converting.