Website Performance Monitoring for Better SEO: Your Top FAQs Answered
What is website performance monitoring?
Website performance monitoring (WPM) is the process of tracking and measuring the performance of a website or web application. This includes metrics such as uptime, page load time, and error rates. WPM can be used to identify and resolve performance issues, improve the user experience, and boost SEO.
Why monitoring my website performance is important?
- 74% of consumers say they will abandon a website if it takes longer than 10 seconds to load. (Source: Hosting Tribunal)
- A 1-second improvement in page load time can increase conversions by 2%. (Source: Kissmetrics)
- Google considers website performance to be a ranking factor in its search algorithm. (Source: Google)
What are the SEO benefits of tracking my website’s performance?
WPM offers a number of SEO benefits, including:
- Improved user experience: WPM can help you identify and resolve performance issues that can impact the user experience, such as slow page load times and broken links.
- Increased uptime: WPM can help you identify and resolve downtime issues before they impact your users.
- Boosted SEO: WPM can help you improve your SEO by tracking and addressing latency metrics and core web vitals.
- Competitive advantage: WPM can help you track the performance of your competitors and identify areas where you can improve.
What is a website performance tracking/monitoring dashboard?
A website performance tracking/monitoring is a tool that provides a visual overview of your website’s performance metrics. This can be used to track trends, identify potential technical SEO issues, and get alerts when problems occur.
What are the different types of site performance monitoring?
There are two main types of site performance monitoring:
- Synthetic monitoring: Synthetic monitoring involves simulating user traffic and measuring the performance of your website from different locations.
- Real user monitoring (RUM): RUM involves tracking the performance of your website from the perspective of real users.
What are the different SEO metrics that can be monitored using WPM?
Some of the most common WPM metrics include:
- Uptime: The percentage of time that your website is up and running.
- Page load time: The amount of time it takes for a web page to load.
- Error rates: The percentage of requests that result in an error.
- Latency: The time it takes for a request to be processed and a response to be returned.
- Core web vitals: A set of metrics that measure the user experience of a web page, such as largest contentful paint (LCP), first input delay (FID), and cumulative layout shift (CLS).
How often should I monitor my website’s performance?
The frequency of site performance monitoring depends on a number of factors, such as the size and complexity of your website, the amount of traffic it receives, and the level of service you expect to provide your users. In general, it is recommended to monitor your website’s performance at least once per day.
How can I test performance from multiple locations?
Most website performance tracking tools like Pingdom and New Relic allow you to schedule tests from different virtual locations. This can help you understand the user experience of your website in other parts of the world.
Can I keep an eye on competitors by tracking their website performance?
Absolutely, by adding your competitors’ websites to your WPM dashboard, you can track their performance metrics and compare them to your own. This can help you identify areas where you can improve.
How much does WPM cost?
There are a number of free and paid performance monitoring tools available. The cost of a paid tool will depend on the features and functionality you need.
What are the top 5 website performance monitoring tools?
Here are the top 5 website performance monitoring tools in my opinion:
The best site performance monitoring tool for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements. If you are just getting started, I recommend starting with a free or freemium tool. Once you have a better understanding of your needs, you can upgrade to a paid tool if necessary.
How Manmash Consulting can help in my site performance monitoring?
Manzar Mashhood and his team of technical SEO experts at Manmash Consulting can help you in your website performance monitoring in a number of ways, including:
- Setting up and configuring tools: Manmash Consulting can help you set up and configure tools such as Sematext, Pingdom, New Relic, Dynatrace, and Site24x7. This can save you time and frustration, and ensure that your website performance tracking is set up correctly.
- Identifying and resolving website performance issues: Manmash Consulting can help you identify and resolve website performance issues such as slow page load times, broken links, and downtime. This can help you improve the user experience of your website and boost your SEO.
- Creating and managing reports: Manmash Consulting can help you create and manage performance monitoring reports. This can help you track your progress over time and identify areas where you need to improve.
- Providing ongoing support: Manmash Consulting can provide ongoing performance monitoring support to ensure that your website is always performing at its best. This can include monitoring your website performance, identifying and resolving issues, and providing you with regular reports.