Does Page Speed Matter in SEO?
Nobody enjoys waiting for a slow website to load. In real estate, that wait can cost you valuable leads. A quick and responsive site makes it easy for people to explore, keeps them interested, and helps lower your bounce rate. On top of that, it gives your search engine optimization (SEO) a real advantage.
In this blog, we'll explore why page speed matters for your real estate website's visibility.
SEO results of Waterfront Properties' Renaissance website.
Table of Contents
User Experience: Speed is Key
Slow loading pages can quickly frustrate visitors to your site, causing them to leave before it even finishes loading. In fact, studies have shown that users expect websites to load in under two seconds, and if it takes longer, they'll likely move on (raise your hand if you're guilty of this).
By working on your page speed, you can keep your users happy and engaged, leading to better engagement and higher conversion rates. If users have a sense that their actions will be met with prompt and responsive results, they’ll be more likely to spend time browsing and signing up.
Page speed can also be a way to set yourself apart from the competition. Tell potential site visitors that you have a fast site and then back it up. A website with good user experience reflects positively on your business and can enhance the overall reputation of your real estate brand.
The Colgan Team's Renaissance website achieving a perfect score on PageSpeed Insights.
Is Speed a Ranking Factor?
Page speed is one of the many ranking factors in Google's algorithm that determines where your site places on search results. Google first introduced page speed as a ranking factor back in 2010 because slow-loading websites will ruin a users' browsing experience.
Although initially introduced as its own ranking factor, Google later grouped page speed with Page Experience among its list of systems for determining placement in search results. However, in April 2023, Page Experience was removed entirely from the list of ranking systems. Understandably, some confusion ensued within the SEO community. Google then followed up, explaining that ranking systems looked at “a variety of signals that align with overall page experience”.
But what does “align” mean? Was page speed, along with other experience factors, simply correlated with ranking success rather than a driver of it? This had some people doubting whether page speed was ever a ranking factor at all.
However, Google’s Search Liaison at that time, Danny Sullivan, stepped in to clarify:
Our guidance on page experience is here, as we shared last week along with our blog post:https://t.co/My7bdcBhwS
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) April 28, 2023
It does *not* say page experience is somehow "retired" or that people should ignore things like Core Web Vitals or being mobile-friendly. The opposite. It says if…pic.twitter.com/KkjRklCmnH
As he explained, factors like page speed were indeed ranking factors, they just weren’t part of a separate Page Experience system. They were instead signals being used by a variety of other systems. The key message was clear: By improving your page speed, you'll improve your chances of ranking higher in search results. You can read more about how Google evaluates page experience here.
Page speed is a critical SEO factor that impacts your website's visibility. Agents and real estate business owners should never overlook this factor to stay on top of their competitors and get in front of more leads.
How To Check Your Website Speed
Have you ever checked your website's speed? One way to evaluate your site's speed is to browse your website from different devices and locations. Ask yourself, does it feel fast and responsive?
We also recommend using Google's PageSpeed Insights tool to get a more objective assessment of your page speed metrics, including:
- FCP (First Contentful Paint): measures the time it takes for the first piece of content to appear on a webpage.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): measures the entire duration of all user interactions like clicks, taps, and key presses, and reveals the longest delay.
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): measures the time it takes for the largest piece of content to appear on a webpage.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): measures the visual stability of a webpage as it loads.
While content relevance and quality are still the most important factors for SEO, page speed should always be considered for a good user experience.
Renaissance: Fastest Real Estate Site
If there’s a faster real estate website than the Renaissance website, we’d like to hear about it! One of the most important steps in boosting your page speed is getting the right web platform, and there's no better option than Renaissance. It received a perfect score in all categories on PageSpeed Insight, and its foundation is built with all SEO best practices in mind. With lightning-fast load times, intuitive design, high accessibility and cutting-edge technology, Renaissance is the perfect choice for real estate teams.
Carly Carey Real Estate Team achieving 100 in all categories on PageSpeed Insights.
Optimize Your Page Speed
There are easy and simple ways to maintain or boost your page speed, and a good place to start is with your images. Real estate websites rely on photos to showcase properties, but big, uncompressed files can seriously slow down your loading speed. Make sure to resize and compress your images so they load quickly without losing quality.
It also helps to keep your website clean and simple. Too many plugins and widgets can bog it down and distract visitors, so only use those that actually help add value and improve user experience. And if your site is an older platform, it might be time for an upgrade. We're currently running a limited-time promotion to make it easier to switch, and we don't want you to miss it!
Carley Carey Real Estate Team's optimized listing images.
Conversations Promotion
Our Conversations promo is created to make it easier for agents to upgrade, switch, or start a new project. Currently, we're offering a free LUX Renaissance upgrade when you sign up for a 36-month contract, and a 2-for-1 deal if you bring a friend along. This means both of you will get 50% off your base SaaS for the entire first year of the term. There's no doubt about it, this is the perfect time to hop on to the Renaissance platform and grow your business.
That's not all! The promo also offers unlimited AI for the rest of 2025, and up to 30% off on programming and design hours. You can save even more when you apply our “pennies on the dollar” concept, which is about adding powerful, existing custom work at just a fraction of their original cost. If a feature has already been designed and built, you don't need to pay for hundreds of hours of development, saving you thousands of dollars.
Grab these incredible deals while they're still available! Please contact us or your Account Manager for the full terms and conditions.
Save up to 30% off on design and programming hours with the Conversations promo.
SEO Discussions on the REW Forum
SEO is a hot topic for many agents, and the REW Forum is a gold mine of information for this subject. Our CEO, Morgan Carey, and our SEO team post the latest trends and best practices that will help your online presence shine. We also share updates about our exciting SEO projects, such as the one we're working on with the renowned Chris Colgan.
Join the REW Forum today to learn more about SEO, share your insights, and connect with the community! Don't hesitate to also contact our expert SEO team if you need professional support.
SEO discussion threads on the REW Forum.
Page Speed FAQ
What is meant by page speed?
Page speed refers to how fast a web page loads and displays all its content.
Does website speed matter?
Absolutely! Website speed is crucial for improving user experience, enhancing engagement and brand image, and optimizing for search rankings.
How do I check the performance of a website?
You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom, or GTmetrix to test website speed and performance.
What is a good website load speed?
A good website load speed is typically under 2 seconds for all content and functionality above the fold, which is the part of a website viewable before scrolling.
Why is my website slow?
Slow website speeds are typically caused by things like large images and videos, excessive third-party scripts, custom site features, and hosting issues.