Speed and mobile: how fast your website loads on a phone

The speed score

We use Google's free speed test, called PageSpeed Insights, set up to act like an ordinary phone on a mobile connection. It gives a score out of 100. Google describes 90 and above as good, 50 to 89 as needing improvement, and below 50 as poor. Phone scores are usually lower than computer scores, and they move a few points between tests, so look at the overall picture.

How long the main content takes to appear

This is the time from tapping a link to seeing the biggest part of the page, usually the main photo or heading. The bands are based on the guidance Google publishes for its "largest contentful paint" measure.

Common reasons a site is slow

• Photos that are far too big. The most common cause by far. A photo straight from a phone or camera can be ten times bigger than a web page needs. Resize photos to about 2000 pixels wide at most, and under about 300KB each. Most website editors can do this for you.
• Too many add-ons. Each plugin, chat widget, slider or tracking tool adds weight. Remove any you do not use.
• Videos and slideshows at the top. They often slow the first view a lot. A single strong photo is usually better.
• Slow hosting. The cheapest plans can be slow. Ask your host about caching, which keeps a ready-made copy of each page.

Working well on a phone

Your pages need a "mobile setting" (the viewport) so they fit a phone screen. Modern themes include it. If your report says it is missing, your site is probably on an old theme worth updating.

Speed is only one part of the report. See how it looks in the example report, or read about trust and contact details, the other thing a visitor decides on in seconds.