At the end of March, Google started rolling out "mobile-first" indexing. This means that Google will mainly look at a mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. This isn't much of a surprise given that most Google users now browse the internet through a smartphone rather than desktop.
The change to indexing is not really a concern for most sites. Only those that use separate URLs for desktop and mobile users, or serve content dynamically based on device type will be affected. However, following rapidly on the heels of this change is news that from July, Google will be using mobile page speed to help determine a page’s search ranking. Slow-loading content will be downranked.
You don't need to be a web developer to improve your site speed, here are some easy non-techie tips to get started with and help boost your site speed.
6 easy tips to boost your site speed
1. Check your site speed
Find out the speed of our website and identify the issues that are slowing it down by using a free site speed checker. Google has its own tool, PageSpeed Insights, which is very useful but unfortunately doesn't have enough data to measure small sites. If this tool doesn't work for your site, try GTmetrix.
2. Reduce redirects
Redirects take time. Remove as many 301 redirects as you realistically can and fix broken links.
3. Prioritise visible content
Load the main content of your page first so that visitors can see that something is happening on the screen.
4. Eliminate render-blocking JavaScript and CSS in above-the-fold content
Limit the size of the data (HTML markup, images, CSS, JavaScript) that is needed to render the above-the-fold content of your page.
5. Optimise images
Larger files take longer to download than smaller files so compress your images to reduce their size.
6. Be conservative with plug-ins
With a plug-in for everything, it can be tempting to install more than you really need. Some plugins are code heavy, which can slow a site down. Delete plug-ins you don't need and only install complex plug-ins that are code heavy if they're really necessary.
These tips should be easy to implement with a basic knowledge of website management. For further tips on how to boost your site speed, which are more developer orientated, click here.