Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to bring something important to your attention regarding the speed and design of all your websites.

OCD?

We know some of you have wondered why we seem to be constantly upgrading our service and occasionally moving to new servers. We are sure a few of you think we have some kind of OCD when it comes to speed.

Perhaps we do, but only because speed is VITAL to your business (more than you may know) and we need you to succeed so that we can stay in business as your host. Other hosts may be happy selling slower hosting and just taking your money. We are not we want to provide you with the best we can.

Site Speed

You all know by now how important this is. Every second really does count and even has a value. Every 1 second slower your site is will cost you 7% in lost sales or enquiries this is a well-researched fact. Any site built by 3001Web will have been built for speed and optimised well, but this is about to become even more important and may need further work….please read on.

Yes, you’ve probably guessed it. Google is changing the rules again.

Google’s Pagespeed Test

In the past, we largely dismissed this test when optimising sites, as, despite its name, it did not actually test the true speed of the sites. Its full official name is “Google Pagespeed Insights”. This is a more accurate description as that is exactly what it does/did, give developers like us insights into Google’s opinion on how well your site is constructed with suggestions that could help IF your site has speed issues.

New Importance

We now can no longer dismiss this little test, the importance of Google Pagespeed insights is about to change significantly. Google announced a while ago that the “core metrics” tested by Pagespeed will start to affect search engine rankings from May 2021.

This is one of the things that prompted our recent server upgrades but a fast server alone is not enough. Good website design and optimisation is what is needed to pass these new tests.

In non-techeeze you really need your site to pass their test if you want to be assured of having the best chance of doing well in search engines.

Google Shmoogle

We have had a few clients get mildly irritated that a search engine is now dictating how we all build our sites, but to be fair to Google they are just trying to make sure that the internet as a whole is as user-friendly as it can be. Also, stop and think about it for a moment, we are sure you have been annoyed by difficult to use or poor websites in the past. No one is twisting your arm behind your back here, you can choose to Ignore their ever-changing rules if you wish, but your business could suffer as a result, unless of course, you happen to have tens of thousands to throw at advertising every month.

Also bear in mind that a lot of Googles suggestions and rules are based on the feedback of web users…your clients.

The Test (Non-techy Version)

“Pagespeed from Google” tests both mobile and desktop design and speed and also now includes something called Lighthouse which incorporates real-use statistics. The fact is you really need both the mobile and desktop versions of your site optimised to pass their test.

Keeping this as simple as possible there are three colours associated with the results of the test on your site.

Green – Good -This is where you want to be

Orange- Needs Improvement

Red – Poor

Our Results And Try It On Your Own Site

Here is the test run on our main site 3001web.com

Notice that there are mobile and desktop tabs in the results. They will show you the mobile results by default as most of your visitors will come from mobile devices. However, remember these are actually two different tests in one so be sure to check both results tabs out.

Try it on your own site once you are there. Don’t forget to include the HTTPS:// before your domain name when you test.

Re-Optimisation

If your site score is not all in the green, then some re-optimisation of your site may be needed to meet the new standards. If you want us to do that for you we will do it at our normal hourly editing rates for existing clients. Just pop in a support ticket if you are not a 3001Web hosting client you can order our site optimisation service here

Maybe We Can Maybe We Can’t

A note here, some of you who had sites that were not built by us, or built by us a long time ago may have heavier more bloated themes and it is not always possible to optimise these to the new required standard. We are good but we cannot work miracles if your theme is super bloated or you are calling too many resources from other sites. If this is the case it could well be time to update and overhaul your site and perhaps have it re-built in a lighter more modern theme.

Nobody’s Perfect

Before we go any further here please be aware that two scores of 100/100 is very difficult to achieve do not get obsessed by “Perfect” get that song out of your head. The aim is to get both your test scores into the green.

More Maintenance! When Does It End?

Websites are like bricks and mortar shops they will quickly start to fall apart and become outdated without regular maintenance and updating. Website design has changed a LOT over the past few years, it has actually become much simpler. People want FAST, CLEAN and SIMPLE not flashy features and useless graphics and sliders. Like it or not, your visitors want information or products and they want the information FAST. How easy it is for them to QUICKLY find what they are looking for is just as important as your sites speed. For your site to truly succeed you need both those things to be right.

The reality

We know all this stuff is a pain in the butt but the reality is website design, standards and the internet are constantly updating. If your business does not keep up it gets left behind. The 3001Web team will always do our best to advise you and keep your businesses current. Whether you choose to take that advice is of course up to you.

Gary

3001web.com