Page speed is how quickly the content on a single web page loads and becomes usable. It is not one number. It is a group of measurements, such as when the main content appears, how fast the page responds to a tap and whether the layout stays stable. You can measure yours for free with our free website speed test.
Key takeaways
- Page speed describes one page. Site speed describes how your pages perform overall.
- Google measures page speed with Core Web Vitals: LCP, INP and CLS.
- Good values are LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, INP of 200 milliseconds or less and CLS of 0.1 or less (Google, web.dev).
- Page speed affects visitors first, and SEO indirectly and directly through page experience signals.
What is the definition of page speed?
Page speed is the time it takes for a web page to show its content and respond to a visitor. People often confuse it with page load time, which is just one measurement. A page can finish loading late but still feel fast if the main content appears early.
How is page speed measured?
Page speed is measured with metrics. The main ones are Largest Contentful Paint (when the main content appears), Interaction to Next Paint (how fast the page responds) and Cumulative Layout Shift (how stable the layout is). See all of them in our guide to website performance metrics.
What is the difference between page speed and site speed?
Page speed describes one page, such as your homepage. Site speed describes how pages across your whole site perform. Because pages differ, a fast homepage does not mean a fast site. Test several key pages, not just one.
Why does page speed matter?
- Visitors: people leave pages that feel slow or jumpy, so speed shapes the experience.
- SEO: Google uses speed and Core Web Vitals as part of its page experience signals. See how important page speed is for SEO.
- Mobile users: phones and slower networks make speed even more important.
What is a good page speed?
A good page speed means passing Core Web Vitals: LCP of 2.5 seconds or less, INP of 200 milliseconds or less and CLS of 0.1 or less. In PageSpeed Insights, a performance score of 90 or above is good. See what a good PageSpeed score is.
How do you test page speed?
- Enter your URL into our free page speed checker or Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Test mobile first.
- Read the Core Web Vitals and the biggest issues.
- Run the test two or three times.
See how to use Google PageSpeed Insights for a walkthrough.
How do you improve page speed?
The most common fixes are compressing images, enabling caching, removing unused scripts and improving server response. Our guide on how to improve website speed walks through each one.
Frequently asked questions
What is page speed in SEO?
It is how fast a page loads and responds, measured by Core Web Vitals. Google uses it as one of many page experience signals.
Is page speed the same as load time?
No. Load time is one measurement. Page speed includes when content appears, how fast the page responds and how stable it is.
What is a good page speed score?
90 or above in PageSpeed Insights, and passing Core Web Vitals in real-user data.
Does page speed affect rankings?
It can, as part of page experience signals, but relevant content matters most.
How do I check my page speed for free?
Use our free tool or Google PageSpeed Insights. Both work on any public URL.
Conclusion
Page speed is how fast a page loads, responds and stays stable. Measure it with Core Web Vitals, test your key pages and fix the biggest issues first. Start with our free website speed test.
