Google adds page load times to search rankings formula
Speed is added to the mysterious Google page rankings melting pot as search giant tries to encourage webmasters to take a closer look at page load times.

Google has announced it has added page load times as one of the factors it uses to determine search result rankings.
The search engine's algorithm for determining search results is both highly complex and highly secretive, with Google constantly tweaking the formula to keep it as fair as possible while also staying one step ahead of scammers looking to exploit the system.
However, by incorporating page load times Google has added an all-new criterion for judging sites, a move that was first announced last November in an attempt to put pressure on webmasters to keep load times as short as possible.
Amit Singhal and Matt Cutts announced the change on Friday on the Google Webmaster Central blog, saying improving page load times would lead internet users to spend more time on the site, and also reduce operating costs.
"Speeding up websites is important not just to site owners, but to all internet users," the post read. "Faster sites create happy users and we've seen in our internal studies that when a site responds slowly, visitors spend less time there... But faster sites don't just improve user experience; recent data shows that improving site speed also reduces operating costs."
However, the pair were quick to point out that site speed would only play a very small part in determining a page ranking, and was nowhere near as important as relevance. Indeed, with Google looking at an estimated 200-plus individual factors when determining page ranking, load times are only likely to have a significant effect should the page in question take 20 seconds or longer to load.
While the new algorithm has in fact been in use for several weeks already, so far it has been restricted to English language searches launched from the US portal Google.com.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Singhal and Cutts suggested several tools to help site owners or webmasters boost their site's loading times, including the Page Speed add-on for Firefox that evaluates web page performance and gives suggestions for improvement. Further information on that and other tools can be found on the Google code Speed page.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovation
ITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job losses
News With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Researchers outline real-time search engine plans
News Glasgow university computer scientists want to give city dwellers access to a real-time information source by 2014.
-
Google promises 'fresher' search
News The internet giant looks to make its searches more timely.
-
Yahoo takes a bite out of Google's search lead
News The latest comScore's latest search engine figures for the US sees Yahoo rise and Google fall as third-placed Bing prepares to take over Yahoo's North American search duties.
-
Bing lockdown for Windows Phone 7 handsets?
News Integration with the Tell Me voice-control feature means Windows Phone 7 devices will be Bing-only by default, a situation even OEMs won't be able to change.
-
Caffeine peps up Google's search engine
News Continuous indexing means results are fresher and faster, says Google, taking the fight to Bing but moving the goalposts for SEO professionals.
-
Wolfram Alpha drops app price from $50 to $2
News Wolfram Alpha has announced a dramatic price drop and refunds to attract more users.
-
Google sees Hong Kong traffic jump
News Google Hong Kong's market share has jumped to three per cent of global market share - if it falls back, it may be a sign China has cut access.
-
Today in tech: Google exits China, our skin becomes the keyboard
News Pressed for time but need to keep on top of tech news? Look no further than this daily roundup.