The website loading speed must be a factor to consider when website creation. But what is the actual impact on the conversion rate?
The causal link between website loading speed and conversion rates
In 2006, Amazon presented one of the first studies on the subject, demonstrating a clear causal link between page load times and conversion rate. Through A/B testing, it has been demonstrated that every 100-millisecond delay in loading time resulted in a 1% loss in revenue for Amazon.
In more recent studies (2013), Intuit presented the results of their recent efforts to reduce load times from 15 seconds to 2 seconds. During this process, they observed a dramatic increase in conversions for every second shaved off a page’s loading time. Specifically:
- +3% increase in conversions for every second shaved off between 15 and 7 seconds
- +2% increase in conversions for every second shaved off between 7 and 5 seconds
- +1% increase in conversions for every second saved between 4 and 2 seconds
In another recent report, Kyle Rush of the campaign Obama 2011 demonstrated through A/B testing that shaving 3 seconds off the loading time (from 5 seconds to 2 seconds) led to a 14% increase in donations, representing an increase of over $34 million in campaign contributions.
What are you waiting for to optimize your website’s loading speed?
