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How to optimize the PageSpeed Insights score

PageSpeed Insights (PSI, or Lighthouse) is a simple way to measure your site’s performance. However, it’s an imprecise tool that doesn’t impact SEO. Therefore, it’s not worth dedicating significant effort to improving its score.

Maybe don’t – because it doesn’t matter

PageSpeed Insights scores don’t affect SEO

PageSpeed Insights scores have no effect on search rankings (source, source). What matters for SEO is Core Web Vitals, as confirmed by Google.

The difference is that PageSpeed Insights run tests on simulated, slow Android devices, while Core Web Vitals collect real-world data from actual visitors (learn more). As a result, your PSI score might remain low even when your Core Web Vitals are excellent. In such cases, you can safely ignore the PSI score.

To check your Core Web Vitals, use Google Search Console.

PageSpeed Insights is not a good measure of performance

PageSpeed Insights score is very approximate. Sometimes, when you make the site faster, it even goes down. Here’s a deep investigation we’ve done to file an issue with Google.

PageSpeed Insights recommendations aren’t accurate

PageSpeed Insights recommendations can provide optimization ideas, but they are often unreliable. Implementing them doesn’t always improve real-world performance, or even the PageSpeed Insights score itself. Here’s an example.

If you do, avoid common pitfalls

1. Run several tests

PageSpeed Insights scores vary significantly between tests, sometimes by up to 15 points. To get a realistic average, run the test at least three times and take the median or mean.

To bypass waiting between runs (PSI shows identical results if re-run immediately), append a query parameter to your URL, such as ?1234 (e.g., my-site.com/my-page/?1234).

2. Follow performance best practices

Focus on optimizing your site using Framer’s performance best practices. This guide includes tips for optimizing images, fonts, and other elements specifically for Framer sites.

Ensure your site is fully optimized and free of warnings when publishing. This not only improves user experience but also supports better SEO.

If the problem persists after following these steps, Feel free to reach out to us through our contact page for further help.

Maybe don’t – because it doesn’t matter

PageSpeed Insights scores don’t affect SEO

PageSpeed Insights scores have no effect on search rankings (source, source). What matters for SEO is Core Web Vitals, as confirmed by Google.

The difference is that PageSpeed Insights run tests on simulated, slow Android devices, while Core Web Vitals collect real-world data from actual visitors (learn more). As a result, your PSI score might remain low even when your Core Web Vitals are excellent. In such cases, you can safely ignore the PSI score.

To check your Core Web Vitals, use Google Search Console.

PageSpeed Insights is not a good measure of performance

PageSpeed Insights score is very approximate. Sometimes, when you make the site faster, it even goes down. Here’s a deep investigation we’ve done to file an issue with Google.

PageSpeed Insights recommendations aren’t accurate

PageSpeed Insights recommendations can provide optimization ideas, but they are often unreliable. Implementing them doesn’t always improve real-world performance, or even the PageSpeed Insights score itself. Here’s an example.

If you do, avoid common pitfalls

1. Run several tests

PageSpeed Insights scores vary significantly between tests, sometimes by up to 15 points. To get a realistic average, run the test at least three times and take the median or mean.

To bypass waiting between runs (PSI shows identical results if re-run immediately), append a query parameter to your URL, such as ?1234 (e.g., my-site.com/my-page/?1234).

2. Follow performance best practices

Focus on optimizing your site using Framer’s performance best practices. This guide includes tips for optimizing images, fonts, and other elements specifically for Framer sites.

Ensure your site is fully optimized and free of warnings when publishing. This not only improves user experience but also supports better SEO.

If the problem persists after following these steps, Feel free to reach out to us through our contact page for further help.

FAQ

  • Do PageSpeed Insights scores affect my site's SEO?

    PageSpeed Insights scores have no effect on search rankings. What matters for SEO is Core Web Vitals, as confirmed by Google.

  • Why does my PageSpeed Insights score stay low even if my site feels fast?

    PageSpeed Insights runs tests on simulated, slow Android devices, while Core Web Vitals collect real-world data from actual visitors. As a result, your PSI score might remain low even when your Core Web Vitals are excellent. In such cases, you can safely ignore the PSI score.

  • How can I get more accurate results from PageSpeed Insights?

    PageSpeed Insights scores vary significantly between tests, sometimes by up to 15 points. To get a realistic average, run the test at least three times and take the median or mean. To bypass waiting between runs (PSI shows identical results if re-run immediately), append a query parameter to your URL, such as '?1234' (e.g., my-site.com/my-page/?1234).

Updated

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