PageSpeed Insights Vs Lighthouse: Which Tool Helps More in SEO?
As an SEO, are you perplexed by Google’s seemingly redundant offerings of PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse Chrome Extension for identifying and resolving core web vitals performance issues? You’re not alone. While both tools offer valuable insights into website performance, they differ in their scope and focus. Despite their apparent similarity, these two tools differ fundamentally in their approach to measuring core web vitals, necessitating Google’s provision of both options. Both tools have distinct roles to play in optimizing website performance.
What is Google PageSpeed Insights (PSI)?
PageSpeed Insights is a free tool from Google that analyzes the performance of a web page and provides suggestions on how to improve it.
What is Google Lighthouse?
Google Lighthouse is an open-source tool that audits the quality of web pages.
How PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse Differ in Evaluating Core Web Vitals
PSI utilizes real-world user data, providing insights into how your website performs for actual visitors. In contrast, Lighthouse Chrome Extension relies on lab data, simulating website performance in a controlled environment.
| Feature | PageSpeed Insights | Lighthouse |
| Data source | Real-world data | Lab-based data |
| Accuracy | More accurate for real-world user experience | May not reflect actual user experience |
| Insights | Holistic view of CWV performance | Detailed diagnostic information |
| Use case | Understanding overall CWV performance | Diagnosing and fixing CWV issues |
Search Engine Optimization: Embracing PageSpeed Insights over Google Lighthouse
Real user CWV data is an important part of Google’s algorithm. It helps to ensure that websites that provide a good user experience are rewarded in search results. Google does use real user CWV (Core Web Vitals) data in its algorithm. This data is collected from Chrome users who have opted in to share their browsing data with Google. The data is then anonymized and aggregated to create a representative sample of real-world user experiences. Google uses this data to assess the quality of a website’s user experience and to inform its ranking algorithm.
SEO Success Story: How Glia Leveraged Real-World Data to Boost its SEO
Glia, a SaaS software for digital customer service , back in 2022 had been experiencing a decline in their website traffic and organic search rankings over the past few months. Concerned about this trend, they decided to investigate the cause and found that their website’s Core Web Vitals (CWV) scores were below Google’s recommended thresholds.
Glia used PageSpeed Insights to collect real user CWV data for their website. This data showed that their LCP was 4.2 seconds, their FID was 150 milliseconds, and their CLS was 0.3. These scores were all significantly below Google’s recommended thresholds of 2.5 seconds for LCP, 100 milliseconds for FID, and 0.25 for CLS.
Glia knew that improving their CWV scores would be essential for improving their website’s SEO. They used the data from PageSpeed Insights to identify the specific issues that were causing their poor CWV scores. These issues included:
- Large images that were taking a long time to load
- Unnecessary JavaScript code that was slowing down the page
- A lack of caching for static resources
Glia implemented a number of changes to their website to address these issues. They:
- Optimized their images for the web
- Minified and combined their JavaScript files
- Implemented caching for static resources
After implementing these changes, Glia’s CWV scores improved significantly. Their LCP dropped to 2.2 seconds, their FID dropped to 75 milliseconds, and their CLS dropped to 0.1.
These improvements had a positive impact on Glia’s SEO and organic traffic. Their website traffic increased by 20% and their organic search rankings improved by 15%. This resulted in a significant increase in leads and sales for the company.
Conclusion
To optimize your website’s search engine rankings, focus on PageSpeed Insights data rather than Lighthouse Chrome Extension data. Core Web Vitals data offered by PageSpeed Insights provides a more realistic and actionable understanding of your website’s performance in the eyes of search engines and actual users.
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Our team of seasoned website speed consultants is here to help you optimize your website’s core web vitals and achieve top scores in Google PageSpeed Insights. Contact us today to transform your website’s performance, WhatsApp: +923331200550.
