It’s no news to us that the faster your website, the better your user’s experience. Ask any agency or industry professional, and they’d likely agree.
But now, global giant Facebook is pushing companies and publishers to get their act in gear. Announced on Wednesday, slower loading sites will be pushed lower down the News Feed in favour of those that will provide visitors with a faster, slicker experience.
We don’t know as of yet just how slow Facebook considers ‘too slow’, but in their latest press release was the fact that “40% of website visitors abandon a site after three seconds of delay”, so that’s not a bad figure to go on for now.
Whilst three seconds seems like no time at all, when your users are (in)patiently waiting for the answer to their question, the key tidbit of information you promised, or a funny video of a dog, three seconds is more than enough time to lose focus and look for the next exciting thing on their News Feed.
Now, the good thing about this update is that if signals show Facebook that your site is fast-loading, the link you provide will be shown higher in News Feeds = result!
If your site’s on the slower side, it may be time to look at ways to improve your site, or maybe even consider a new one altogether.
However, if the thought of a new site leaves you weak at the knees (and not in a good way), Facebook is using this news to push advertisers towards its Instant Articles feature.
This is a tool that allows publishers to create articles with Facebook’s technology, meaning your articles will load quicker than those taking users to external sites.
Instant Article’s faster experience, so Facebook says, will encourage users to share and engage with content 30% more than mobile web articles. Does this mean it’s a method we ought to be using more when sharing content?
So whichever method you use, it’s definitely worth making sure you’re always on the ball, whether that means investing money in a new website or investing time in becoming an Instant Article pro – Facebook, and your fans, will thank you.
