Why using a single pagespeed score is a money-leaking approach

Pagespeed is more nuanced than a single number. Google's Core Web Vitals containing 3 metrics is perfectly illustrating this. In this blogpost, I will try to describe why it is important to look beyond a single score.

Why using a single pagespeed score is a money-leaking approach

Pagespeed comes with challenges. Even before you started to optimize. You have to embed it, you have to allocate developer hours and you need a Real User Monitoring solution.

Using a toolset means you need someone to look at it. But not every company has a pagespeed advocate standing in between development and marketing teams. It's often either a developer, a marketer or a product owner who's also needs to look at the pagespeed from time to time.

A single number is time-saving

So, transforming all of your website's individual numbers into a single pagespeed score is a time-saving way to make decisions. But is it the best method for your business?

Don't be blindsided

Core Web Vitals is a start. It is not using a single number, unlike the single Lighthouse score.

A few UX scenario's

The following scenario's are also able to illustrate how a single score will make you unaware of remaining issues:

Google Search Console might help in highlighting issues, especially when issues are different per template type. Most Real User Monitoring solutions are able to help out to pinpoint issues and which conditions they are happening the most.

For example, knowing what condition is to blame will help you to determine how and where you should start fixing it. Because it could either be the user's device, the internet speed, the page, the server, response time of (blocking and/or external) files and even the weather/heat.

Pagespeed is not a single number

I do acknowledge that it's way more convenient for most stakeholders to look at a single pagespeed score to know where they are standing. They can then quickly move to the next todo on their list. That's why some website owners need the dedicated pagespeed advocates.

Stop money leaking

Pagespeed and especially UX just can't be communicated via a single number. And pagespeed advocates will know, allowing merchants from pagespeed and UX edge-cases to happen. And stop holding back further conversion growth. Or introducing regressions after deploys.

So, feel free to use our quick and free pagespeed tools. But be sure to supplement it with extended Real User Monitoring data to prevent your business from missing nuanced and stop it from leaking money.

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