Why website speed matters: how we took our own site from 72 to 99 on PageSpeed

Your website's speed isn't just a technical detail: a visitor can lose patience while waiting for a page to open, and Google treats speed as one of its quality signals. We took our own site's (246software.com) mobile PageSpeed score from 72 to 99 and cut the time it takes for the main image to appear from 8.0 seconds to 1.7 seconds. In this post we explain, in plain language, why speed matters, what made the difference on our site and what you should look at on yours. Speed alone doesn't guarantee rankings, but it is one of the basic requirements of a good site.

Why does website speed matter?

• Visitor patience: Most people don't wait for a page that opens slowly on a phone. A potential customer leaves before filling in the form.
• Google's evaluation: Page experience, known as Core Web Vitals, is one of the signals taken into account in rankings. With everything else equal, a fast site has an advantage.
• Ads and winning customers: A click you paid for is wasted on a slow page.

What are Core Web Vitals?

Three measures Google uses to judge how a page feels to use:

• When does the main content appear? (LCP) How long it takes for the largest element on the page, usually the main image, to appear. Under 2.5 seconds is considered good.
• Does the page jump around? (CLS) Elements shifting while the page loads and making you tap the wrong thing.
• Does it respond quickly when you tap? (INP) How quickly the page reacts when you tap a button or a menu.

You can measure these scores for free with PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) and the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console.

Where we started

When we launched the site, our mobile score was 72 and the main image took 8.0 seconds to appear. The problem wasn't in how the site worked but in the pages being heavier than they needed to be.

What did we fix?

1. We made heavy images lighter. This is where we gained the most. The two large background images on the home page weighed about 972 KB together; we converted them to a lighter format (WebP), prepared separate sizes for phones and computers and brought the total down to about 20 KB.

2. We gave priority to what appears first. We fixed the order so that the image you see first when the page opens loads right away and the ones further down load afterwards.

3. We sent each device the right size. We prepared images in several sizes so that a phone doesn't download a large image made for a desktop.

4. We deferred what not every visitor needs. The security check behind the contact form is a heavy component. It now loads only when the visitor touches the form; someone who browses and leaves never downloads it.

5. We cut unnecessary extras. We switched off small parts added from outside that did nothing useful and made sure repeat files are stored for later visits, so the page opens much faster the next time.

After each change we measured again to see how much difference it made.

The result

Our mobile PageSpeed score is 99 and desktop 100; our accessibility, best-practices and SEO scores are also 100. Page shifting is zero on the pages we measured.

A checklist for your site

You can ask your technical team, or the company that built your site:

1. What is our mobile PageSpeed score? 2. How many KB is the largest image on the home page, and is it in a light format? 3. Does the image that appears first on the screen load with priority? 4. Does a phone user get a small image and a desktop user a large one? 5. Do add-ons such as chat, maps or verification slow the page down? 6. Does content jump around while the page loads? 7. Is it measured again after changes and at least every three months?

Frequently asked questions

What should a good PageSpeed score be?

90 and above on mobile is considered good. More important still is that the Core Web Vitals values from real visitor data look "good".

Does speed directly raise rankings?

It doesn't guarantee them on its own, but page experience is taken into account in rankings and a slow page loses visitors. Speed works together with content and technical SEO.

Why is my ready-made theme or WordPress site slow?

Usually because of unnecessary plugins, large images and heavy add-ons. Often, making images lighter and removing what isn't needed makes a serious difference.

Can I fix speed myself?

Shrinking images and removing unneeded plugins is often possible. Improvements at the server and code level need technical support.

Conclusion

Site speed improves with concrete steps such as making images lighter, prioritising what appears first and deferring what isn't needed. We applied and measured these on our own site. In our corporate website service we build sites fast, phone-friendly and ready for search engines from the start. Share with us what your site needs. If you are planning a new site, our post I want a website built: where to start will also help.