Web page load velocity, amongst different Core Internet Vitals, is a recognized Google natural rating issue. Whereas we have now the PageSpeed Insights software, it sadly solely works on one web page at a time.
The Web page Timings report in Common Analytics surfaced particular pages in your web site that had been slowest, permitting you to prioritize which pages to judge and optimize.
The software was significantly useful in case you have a big web site with 1000’s of pages to investigate. Armed with the listing of downside URLs, you can then prioritize pages for evaluation utilizing the PageSpeed Insights software.
However Google didn’t embody the Web page Timings report in GA4, so the place can you discover related info now?
Under are a number of free and paid instruments that may provide help to pinpoint your downside pages and prioritize their optimization.
1. Google Search Console
- Execs: Free.
- Cons: Extremely guide, no API connections.
Google Search Console (GSC) supplies a Core Internet Vitals report and even separates the information by cellular versus desktop.
Nevertheless, whereas GSC supplies some examples of URLs affected, it doesn’t present a full listing. As a substitute, it teams pages collectively and exhibits examples from the group. The information can be not simply downloadable to a CSV for monitoring.
In case your purpose is common monitoring, you’ll must log in to GSC and evaluation the information inside the software. The GSC API doesn’t help exporting core internet vitals report information, so you’ll be able to’t pull GSC information into Looker Studio or different visualization instruments.
2. Screaming Frog
- Execs: Totally indexes websites, connects to PageSpeed Insights API (with a key you present), scheduling out there.
- Cons: Paid software, desktop-based.
An extended-time favourite of search engine optimization professionals, Screaming Frog software program has many useful search engine optimization functions, however a very powerful factor for this text is that it supplies web page load occasions.
It will probably additional be related to the PageSpeed Insights software utilizing a key from the PageSpeed Insights API to import Core Internet Vitals information instantly into the PageSpeed report:
The one actual disadvantage to Screaming Frog is that as a result of it’s a desktop-based utility, the pc you host it on must be turned on and related to the online when the report runs. This makes the software much less optimum for dashboarding and extremely common information monitoring.
One workaround is to have a desktop laptop that’s all the time turned on. I did this in my company for a few years with a devoted, outdated desktop laptop working Screaming Frog.
As a result of the software permits for scheduling, the scheduled report can run on the appointed time so long as the pc is on and related to the web. Moreover, you’ll be able to join Screaming Frog to a Google Drive account and export the report tabs to Google Sheets:
If you wish to use the add for dashboarding, select the Overwrite recordsdata in output, which can permit you to simply replace the identical Google Sheet.
As soon as the information is in a Google Sheet, you’ll be able to import it into different platforms, akin to Looker Studio, to create dashboards and visualizations or create thresholds to ship electronic mail alerts utilizing Apps Script.
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3. Ahrefs
- Execs: Totally indexes websites, scheduling out there, cloud-based utility, connects to the PageSpeed Insights API (with a key you present).
- Cons: Paid software, guide information export.
Ahrefs has lengthy been an search engine optimization favourite for monitoring backlinks, however the software additionally has a strong web site audit software that tracks web page load velocity because it indexes an internet site.
Like Screaming Frog, you’ll be able to join PageSpeed Insights on to the positioning audit to see particular core internet vitals optimizations that needs to be made:
Whilst you can export studies to Google Sheets, it’s a guide course of. Web site audits may be scheduled for normal intervals.
Sadly, the Ahrefs API doesn’t seem to have a approach to routinely export the outcomes, leaving it a little bit of a guide course of and fewer than perfect for dashboarding and close to real-time studies.
4. Semrush
- Execs: Totally indexes websites, scheduling out there, cloud-based utility, connects to the PageSpeed Insights API (no key wanted).
- Cons: Paid software, guide information export.
One other common search engine optimization software is Semrush, and it additionally has a web site audit function that critiques web page load velocity and lists the pages with the longest load occasions:
In contrast to Ahrefs and Screaming Frog, you aren’t required to enter a private PageSpeed Insights API key to attach core internet vitals optimization info on to the audit.
Once more, with this software, nonetheless, the information export for this report is guide. Semrush has an API, although, and it’ll report on web page load velocity points. Nevertheless, the API is just out there for enterprise plans and better, which begin at $499/month.
5. Add web page velocity into GA4 utilizing customized dimensions
- Execs: Free, measures precise consumer information for web page load velocity by web page, scheduling not required, cloud-based utility.
- Cons: Solely begins monitoring information as soon as applied (no historic information), doesn’t routinely join with PageSpeed Insights API.
An alternative choice to revive web page load velocity in Google Analytics is to create a customized dimension. You should utilize that customized dimension to create an Explorations report, import information into Looker Studio or export information utilizing the GA4 API or varied instruments that incorporate the API.
Measure Faculty has an glorious tutorial on learn how to monitor web page load velocity utilizing Google Tag Supervisor and customized dimensions in GA4.
A number of free and paid instruments can export your listing of sluggish pages utilizing the customized dimension to Google Sheets, together with the free Google Sheets extension GA4 Stories Builder for Google Sheets.
In contrast to its predecessor in Common Analytics, this extension doesn’t have scheduling functionality. I personally use Supermetrics, which is a paid software however supplies me entry to a number of APIs, together with GA4, and permits me to schedule studies.
Connecting with the PageSpeed Insights API
After getting your listing of the positioning’s slowest pages, although, you’re not utterly completed! Screaming Frog, Ahrefs and Semrush pull Core Internet Vitals optimizations into their platforms utilizing the PageSpeed Insights API.
For those who’re not utilizing a kind of instruments, you’ll both must interrogate every URL within the PageSpeed Insights software manually, one after the other, or you may also use the PageSpeed Insights API to make these queries for you.
For those who’re not an internet developer or expert with coding, there are luckily instruments that you should utilize to faucet into APIs, together with the PageSpeed Insights API, to get the precise core internet vitals particulars you want for optimization.
My private favourite is Zapier, which has a webhook zap permitting even non-developers a simplified approach to join your listing of sluggish URLs to the PageSpeed Insights and pull in whichever information factors are most vital:
Optimizing photos can usually be a fast means to enhance web page load velocity. Within the zap instance above, I solely pull in picture particulars for every URL for a web site with over 10,000 pages. This enables me a quick approach to discover:
- Which pages are slowest.
- Of these pages, which of them are sluggish on account of photos that needs to be resized.
- Make a listing of the pictures that needs to be resized and prioritize them by biggest load time saved per picture.
The advantage of this method is that it actually can present near-real-time reporting and dashboarding, whereas the opposite options nonetheless have drawbacks that make them lower than perfect for dashboard studies.
Nevertheless, you proceed to measure web page load velocity for natural search optimization, every resolution requires some set-up and work. So, should you haven’t already began on an answer, get began instantly in an effort to shortly mine fast wins for search engine optimization and enhance your downside pages.
Opinions expressed on this article are these of the visitor creator and never essentially Search Engine Land. Workers authors are listed right here.
