Improve Website Performance – Better SEO Rankings and More Conversions

A slow website doesn't just cost patience. It costs visibility, enquiries and revenue. The real question isn't whether performance matters. The question is: How much does it actually affect day-to-day results?

The Facts According to Google

Google officially confirmed in 2010 that loading speed is a ranking factor. The mobile "Speed Update" followed in 2018. Since 2021, Core Web Vitals have been part of the ranking system.

The direction is clear: Google favours pages that load fast and behave reliably.

What Exactly Gets Measured

Google evaluates website performance using three metrics:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How quickly the main content becomes visible. Target: under 2.5 seconds.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How quickly the page responds to clicks. Target: under 200 milliseconds.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How stable the layout behaves. Target: under 0.1.

These aren't theoretical values. They measure directly how a website feels to real users.

How Big Is the SEO Effect Really?

This is often overstated. Performance is a ranking factor, but not the most important one.

When content quality is equal, the faster page may come out on top. When the content is clearly stronger, the better page often wins anyway — even if it's a bit slower.

The practical takeaway: Performance alone rarely delivers top rankings. But poor performance can hold back great content.

The Bigger Lever: Indirect Effects

The direct ranking effect is moderate. The indirect effects are often far greater.

Google studies show:

When loading time goes from 1 to 3 seconds, bounce rate increases by 32%.
At 5 seconds, bounce probability rises by 90%.
At 10 seconds, the increase reaches 123%.

This doesn't just affect SEO. It hits conversions, contact enquiries and appointment bookings.

Why This Is Especially Relevant for Swiss SMEs

Local searches often come from mobile, on the go, and under time pressure.

Someone searching for "emergency plumber Brugg" won't wait around. If the site is sluggish, they move on to the next option.

At the same time, only around 47% of all websites pass all three Core Web Vitals. This is exactly where the opportunity lies for SMEs: solid performance sets you visibly apart from the competition.

What Values Should You Aim For?

The benchmarks are straightforward:

Good: LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1
Needs improvement: LCP between 2.5 and 4 seconds
Poor: LCP over 4 seconds

Websites on page 1 of Google load significantly faster on average. The commonly cited benchmark is around 1.65 seconds.

The Most Common Bottlenecks in Practice

With Swiss SMEs, we see the same patterns over and over:

Oversized images: Several megabytes per image is far from rare.
Too much JavaScript: Third-party scripts blocking page rendering.
Weak hosting: Cheap shared environments limiting response times.
No caching: Returning visitors unnecessarily reloading files.
Too many external resources: Fonts, widgets and tools adding connection overhead and wait times.

What Makes Sense Right Now

Quick Wins

Test your website with Google PageSpeed Insights or Webscore
Compress images and serve them as WebP
Remove unnecessary plugins and scripts

Next-Level Optimisations

Review hosting performance and upgrade if needed
Implement lazy loading for images properly
Enable a CDN for static assets

Ongoing Process

Monitor Core Web Vitals regularly
Always test new features for performance impact
Establish loading speed as a fixed quality metric

How webscore.ch Measures Performance

In short: we use the same measurement approach as Google's own tools.

Lighthouse as the testing engine: webscore.ch uses Google Lighthouse to evaluate key performance metrics like loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability.
Automated with Chrome: Tests run in an automated Chrome browser via Puppeteer. This gives you reproducible measurements rather than rough estimates.
Focus on understandable results: We translate technical raw values into clear, actionable guidance — so even non-technical users can immediately see what to improve first.

Key Takeaways

Performance matters, but it's not everything. Content and topical relevance remain central.
The biggest effect is indirect. Slow loading times worsen user signals and conversions.
Mobile usage makes this urgent. Local searches in particular are highly sensitive.
Most issues are fixable. A few technical corrections often produce noticeable improvements.
Speed is a competitive advantage. In contested markets, it can tip the balance.

More on the topic of visibility in our SEO for SMEs section.

How Fast Is Your Website?

Does your website pass Core Web Vitals? Run a free analysis with webscore.ch and see exactly where your biggest performance gains are.