Is Google’s PageSpeed Insights a Valuable Tool?
Understanding the Data Used by PageSpeed Insights
Is it correct to assume that Google’s PageSpeed Insights operates based on data collected over a specific duration, such as the past 30 days?
Limitations in Real-Time Debugging
PageSpeed Insights may not be ideal for real-time pagespeed debugging. For example, WebPageTest.org indicates that my website’s Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is slightly over 3 seconds on mobile, while PageSpeed Insights reports it to be over 6 seconds.
Communicating Improvements to Google
What steps can I take to inform Google that I’ve resolved my pagespeed issues? Would resubmitting my sitemap via Google Search Console (GSC) suffice?
2 responses to “Is Pagespeed insights from Google useful?”
Is Pagespeed Insights from Google Useful?
Pagespeed Insights (PSI) is a crucial tool provided by Google to evaluate the performance of a webpage on both mobile and desktop devices. Its usefulness can be gauged through several aspects:
Performance Metrics: PSI provides insights into critical performance metrics such as FCP (First Contentful Paint), LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), and others. This helps diagnose which parts of your webpage may need optimization.
Recommendations: PSI offers specific recommendations on how to improve your page speed, such as minimizing CSS, reducing server response times, or optimizing images. These actionable insights can be essential for developers aiming to enhance website performance.
User Experience Impact: With the focus on Core Web Vitals, PSI assists in understanding how site speed affects user experience, which is vital for SEO ranking purposes.
Comparative Data: PSI gives both lab data and real-world field data. It helps you benchmark your site’s performance against industry standards and practices.
Data Analysis Over Time
Pagespeed Insights uses two types of data:
Lab Data: This is collected using a set of predefined environment settings. It simulates a page load based on certain conditions, like a slower network speed, to provide consistent and reproducible results.
Field Data: Collected from real users’ experience, this data is powered by the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX). It reflects how your site performs for real users in real-world conditions over a 28-day period.
Your presumption is correct that PSI works partially on data collected over the last 30 days (field data), which means it might not show immediate changes in performance enhancements.
Real-Time Debugging and Discrepancies
For real-time performance debugging, it’s true that PSI might not be as effective as other tools like WebPageTest.org, which can give more immediate feedback for troubleshooting current issues. Discrepancies in metrics like LCP between different tools can arise due to differences in testing environments, datasets, or measurement techniques used by each tool.
Reporting Changes to Google
After you have made improvements to your page speed, updating Google about these changes involves:
Thank you for sharing this insightful post! You’ve raised some important points about the utility and limitations of Google’s PageSpeed Insights. To add to the discussion, I’d like to highlight a couple of aspects:
1. **Data Freshness and Context:** You are correct that PageSpeed Insights aggregates data over a specified period, but it’s worth noting that it uses both lab data (which can be simulated under controlled conditions) and field data (which reflects real user experiences). The results may differ based on the method used and the geographical location of users, which highlights the importance of looking at multiple testing tools like WebPageTest for more comprehensive insights.
2. **Real-Time Debugging Solutions:** Since you mentioned the performance discrepancies in LCP, it can often be beneficial to utilize real-time monitoring tools in addition to PageSpeed Insights. Tools like GTmetrix and Lighthouse can provide instant feedback and allow you to see how specific changes affect your page’s performance in real-time.
3. **Communicating with Google:** Regarding informing Google of your improvements, resubmitting your sitemap via Google Search Console is a helpful step, but it may not be the only one needed. Additionally, ensuring that your site is indexed with the latest changes can be facilitated by using the URL inspection tool in GSC. It allows you to request indexing for specific pages, which can be particularly useful after significant optimizations.
Ultimately, combining insights from multiple tools and methods will give you a fuller picture of your site’s performance. Continuous monitoring and