Whether you’re a new small business or an established one, understanding how your website performs is crucial. Website performance is a combination of factors that impact how your visitors interact with your site and how search engines view it. Measuring performance can seem daunting, especially if you don’t have a tech background, but this guide will walk you through the three most important metrics to monitor: Accessibility, Speed, and SEO.
By regularly checking and improving these three areas, you’ll not only boost your search engine rankings but also create a better user experience, leading to higher engagement and more conversions. Ready to dig in? Let’s go!
Why It’s Important to Measure Website Performance Regularly
If you don’t measure your website’s performance, you’re essentially flying blind. You might have a beautiful website, but if it’s slow, difficult to navigate, or hard to find on Google, it’s not doing your business any favours. Here’s why you need to keep an eye on your performance metrics:
- Boosts Your SEO: Search engines like Google prioritise websites that are quick and easy to use. If your site is slow or poorly optimised, it’ll rank lower.
- Improves User Experience: A fast, accessible website makes it easier for people to find what they need, making them more likely to stick around.
- Drives More Traffic: With higher rankings and better usability, you’ll attract more visitors to your site.
- Increases Conversions: When your website is easy to use and navigate, it’s more likely to turn visitors into paying customers.
The Three Key Performance Metrics: Accessibility, Speed, and SEO
1. Accessibility
Accessibility is all about making your website usable for everyone, including people with disabilities. This means your site should be easy to navigate with a keyboard, have text that’s readable, and provide alternative text for images.
How to Measure Accessibility
The best tool to use for checking your website’s accessibility is Google Lighthouse, which is built into Chrome’s DevTools. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Chrome DevTools: Right-click anywhere on your page and click Inspect.
- Go to the Lighthouse tab.
- Choose Accessibility and click Generate Report.
Lighthouse will provide a score from 0-100, with 100 being perfect. It’ll also show you areas where your site is falling short, like missing alt text or low colour contrast.
Why Accessibility Matters
An accessible website means a wider audience can use your site, which is great for your business and also helps you rank better on Google. Sites with good accessibility scores are often rewarded with higher visibility in search engines, as Google prioritises inclusive and user-friendly experiences.
2. Website Speed
Speed is one of the most critical aspects of website performance. A slow site frustrates users and can drive potential customers away. According to Google, even a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%.
How to Measure Speed
Use Google PageSpeed Insights to test your site’s speed. Here’s how:
- Go to Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Enter your site’s URL and click Analyze.
- PageSpeed will give you a score from 0-100 for both mobile and desktop.
What to Look For:
- First Contentful Paint (FCP): This measures how long it takes for the first piece of content to appear.
- Speed Index: Shows how quickly the contents of a page are visibly populated.
- Time to Interactive (TTI): Measures how long it takes for the page to become fully interactive.
Why Speed Matters
A fast website means better user experience and higher rankings. Google uses speed as a ranking factor, so if your site is slow, you’re less likely to appear in the top search results.
3. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
SEO is what helps your site appear in search engines like Google. It’s all about using the right keywords, optimising your content, and making your site easy for search engines to crawl.
How to Measure SEO
You can measure your site’s SEO performance using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or even Google Lighthouse. For a basic overview, Lighthouse will give you a score and highlight areas to improve.
- Open Chrome DevTools and go to the Lighthouse tab.
- Select SEO and click Generate Report.
Key SEO Metrics:
- Meta Descriptions and Titles: Check if these are well-written and include target keywords.
- Content Relevance: Make sure your content matches what people are searching for.
- Internal and External Links: Check that you’re linking to relevant pages, both on your site and externally.
Tools for Measuring Website Performance
1. Google Lighthouse
Lighthouse is a free tool that audits your site for performance, accessibility, SEO, and more. It provides a detailed report on what’s working well and what needs improvement.
How to Use Lighthouse:
- Right-click on your page in Chrome and click Inspect.
- Go to the Lighthouse tab.
- Choose the metrics you want to measure and click Generate Report.
2. Google PageSpeed Insights
This tool focuses specifically on speed and gives separate scores for mobile and desktop.
How to Use PageSpeed Insights:
- Go to the PageSpeed Insights website.
- Enter your site’s URL and click Analyze.
- Review the suggestions to improve your site’s speed.
3. WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)
WAVE checks your site’s accessibility and highlights issues like missing alt text or low contrast.
How to Use WAVE:
- Go to wave.webaim.org.
- Enter your site’s URL and click Wave It!.
- Review the report and fix the issues highlighted.
Regular Monitoring: Why It’s Crucial
Measuring your site’s performance once is not enough. You need to track it regularly to catch new issues as they arise. Here’s why:
1. Google’s Algorithm Changes
Google frequently updates its algorithms, which can impact your site’s ranking even if you haven’t made any changes. Regular checks ensure you stay compliant.
2. User Expectations Evolve
As users get used to faster, more accessible websites, their expectations rise. A site that was fast and user-friendly a year ago might feel sluggish now.
3. Identify New Issues Early
Regular monitoring helps you catch and fix problems before they start impacting your rankings or user experience.
How Often Should You Check?
For small businesses, aim to check your site’s performance at least once a month. If you make regular changes to your site or publish a lot of content, consider doing it more frequently.
Real-Life Example: The Impact of Regular Monitoring
Let’s look at two similar small business websites: Business A and Business B.
- Business A never checks its performance. It has a slow, inaccessible site that ranks poorly on Google. As a result, they’ve seen a 20% decline in traffic over the past 6 months.
- Business B monitors its performance monthly, using Google Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights. They noticed a drop in their SEO score and fixed it by optimising their meta descriptions and improving site speed. Over the same 6 months, they’ve seen a 30% increase in traffic.
The difference? Regular monitoring and taking action based on the data.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait to Measure Your Website’s Performance
Monitoring your site’s accessibility, speed, and SEO is one of the best things you can do for your small business. It helps you catch issues early, keeps your site running smoothly, and boosts your visibility in search engines. With tools like Google Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, and WAVE, it’s easy to get started—even if you have no technical experience.
So, set a reminder, check your scores regularly, and watch your site’s performance (and your business) grow!
If you need help with performance optimisation or want a professional audit, get in touch—we’d love to help you make your site the best it can be!