Most business owners judge website speed the same way:
“If it seems fast on my computer, it’s probably fine.”
Unfortunately, Google doesn’t score you on how things feel on your computer.
It scores you on how fast your pages load for everyone else — on old phones, average Wi-Fi, and 4G networks.
Here’s what small businesses need to know.
Core Web Vitals changed the game
Google’s ranking system now evaluates:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — how long it takes before the main content loads
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP) — how responsive your site feels when clicking, scrolling, and tapping
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — whether elements jump around while loading
If your site is “fast enough” to you but scoring poorly in Web Vitals, Google sees it as slow — and ranks you accordingly.
Hosting plays a bigger role than most people expect
A well-built site can still perform terribly if:
- the server is shared
- TTFB (time to first byte) is slow
- assets aren’t served through a quality CDN
- caching is inconsistent
Improving these pieces usually delivers instant gains.
Your users judge speed differently than Lighthouse
Real users care about:
- how quickly they can see the page
- whether they can tap immediately
- whether dropdowns, forms, carts, and search boxes respond reliably
A 2.0s LCP can feel great.
A 2.0s delay after clicking a button feels broken.
Small improvements add up
For many organizations, bringing performance from “okay” to “excellent” can mean:
- 10–25% more conversions
- reduced bounce rate
- higher search visibility
- less user frustration
Performance compounds — the longer it’s good, the more benefit you gain.
What to do next
Performance isn’t about chasing perfect scores. It’s about ensuring your site feels effortless to use on every device. The right infrastructure and the right tuning go a long way.