If You Don't Know How Fast Your Site Is, You're Officially Ignoring SEO

Google made it official on Friday that site speed is now a factor in their algorithm. Google's focus has always been centered on user experience, which is why it's not surprising that they will start rewarding fast sites, and potentially "penalizing" sites that are especially slow to load. The announcement certainly does not mean that site speed trumps relevance - Google will always aim to display the best result first. But if two websites are neck and neck, you can expect the faster site to rank above the slower one. Want to know how Google is ranking your site's speed? Log into your Webmaster Tools profile and check out Site Performance in the Labs section. Additionally, tools like Google's Page Speed and Yahoo!'s YSlow will help you understand which components on the page are slowing you down and Page Speed specifically will recommend various solutions. Work with your SEO and Web Support team to speed up your site and enhance your search engine visibility.