In May of 2019, Google began testing the addition of a speed report to the search console as a beta for anyone that wanted to try it. Now, nearly 6 months later, it appears that they found success in these tests and are ready to begin rolling out the feature publicly. As Google Search Console begins rolling out a speed report, what does this new functionality mean for webmasters or marketing firms that are looking to make the biggest splash online?
To find this new feature in Search Console, you will need to locate the “Speed” reports under the “Enhancements” section. These reports are designed to help webmasters quickly find URLs or pages on their website that may be creating speed performance issues. With this information, they can then begin to pinpoint contributing issues and fix them as needed to improve overall speed and performance. However, to dig deeper, webmasters will likely need to use the PageSpeed Insights tool to determine what problems are occurring at the current time.
One of the biggest benefits of the Speed Report being added to Google Search Console is the ability of webmasters to both track fixes made to pages while also functioning as a tool that can be used to monitor performance over time. For instance, once you address any issues that may be affecting a page, you can then create a report to see if the experience of your users improved when accessing the updated page. This is important because Google has historically stated that speed is an important search engine ranking factor.
By implementing this data into Google Search Console, webmasters are given yet another important piece of the puzzle for SEO and conversion metrics. While this was available previously through other tools, it’s inclusion into Google Search Console means that you have all the resources you need in one place, particularly if you are paying for other services or need an all-in-one solution for report generation. As an additional benefit, the Speed Report will also provide a historical look into improvements and the impact they made on your user experience.