Understanding Website Speed Analysis

Introduction

Website speed analysis can be complex with various tools like PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and others offering different performance metrics.

These tools often provide a snapshot of your website’s speed at a single moment in time, sometimes under artificially slow conditions.

From experience, the most common cause of slow page speeds is content-heavy pages, such as large images, autoplay videos, excessive carousels, or third-party scripts.

Before relying too heavily on speed tools, we recommend following the page speed optimisation checklist here:
     🔗 How to Speed Up Your Web Pages

If concerns persist, we suggest shifting focus away from speed testing tools and instead analysing Core Web Vitals within Google Search Console.

Summary

✅ First, optimise content using our page speed guide.

✅ Avoid relying solely on speed test tools, as they often misrepresent performance.

✅ Use Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console for an accurate, long-term view of website speed.

✅ If issues remain, ASP can assist in identifying and resolving speed problems.

By focusing on real user experiences rather than artificial benchmarks, you’ll gain a clearer picture of how your website performs and how to improve it effectively.

Why Prioritise Core Web Vitals Over Speed Testing Tools?

Many speed analysis tools simulate slower-than-usual connections and may give an unrealistically poor performance score.

They also measure performance at a single point in time, which may not reflect how most users experience your site.

Core Web Vitals, on the other hand, provide a more accurate assessment as they collect real user data over 28 days, offering insights into how visitors actually experience your site.

Key Core Web Vitals to Measure:

• First Contentful Paint (FCP) – The most important metric for perceived speed. It measures how quickly the first piece of content appears on the screen, giving users a sense that the page is loading.
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – How long it takes for the main content to load. This helps assess how fast the page becomes fully usable.

Focusing on FCP first ensures that visitors see something quickly, while LCP provides a fuller picture of when the page is ready to use.

This data is more reliable for assessing real-world speed performance.

How to Review Core Web Vitals in Google Search Console

Step 1: Log into Google Search Console

Go to Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account.

Step 2: Navigate to Core Web Vitals Report

• Click on Experience in the left-hand menu.
• Select Core Web Vitals to see performance data for your site.
• Review the ‘Good’, ‘Needs Improvement’, and ‘Poor’ classifications for mobile and desktop.

Step 3: Analyse the Findings

• If most pages are classified as ‘Good’, your site speed is performing well.
• If pages are ‘Poor’ or ‘Needs Improvement’, focus on FCP & LCP issues.

Step 4: Fix Identified Issues

For pages flagged as slow, reference our guide:
     🔗 Google Search Console - How To Set Up

If you need further support, ASP can review your Core Web Vitals directly. See:
     🔗 How to Invite ASP to Google Search Console

Conclusion

Website speed analysis can be overwhelming with so many tools providing varying results.

Instead of focusing on artificial snapshots, prioritise real user experience data through Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals.

Start by optimising content, minimising unnecessary elements, and following our speed improvement guide. If performance concerns persist, ASP can assist in reviewing and optimising your website for the best possible speed and user experience.