Why Website Speed Matters More Than It Did Even a Long Time Ago
You know that moment when you’re trying to load a website on your phone, and you just… wait? And wait? And then you leave?
Yeah. That’s happening to your potential clients too.
I’m going to be direct with you: if your website is slow, people are leaving before they even see what you do. And the frustrating part is that most of the women I work with don’t realize it’s happening. They think their website is fine because they built it years ago and nobody complained. But here’s the thing, nobody complains. They just quietly click away and hire someone else.
This isn’t about being perfect or having the fastest website on the internet. It’s about the difference between someone staying long enough to read your story and actually leaving before the page even loads.
What Changed (and Why It Matters More Now)
When you first built your website, maybe five or ten years ago, the internet was a different place. People had more patience. They had different devices. Things loaded a little slower, and it was just… normal.
But the internet didn’t stay that way.
Today, most people are on their phones. A lot of people are on slower connections, or they’re multitasking, or they’re checking you out during their lunch break. And here’s what I’ve seen in my 15 years of working with websites: if your site takes more than a few seconds to load, about half the people who click your link will leave before they ever see your home page.
Think about that for a second. You’ve worked so hard to get someone to your website, and they leave before they see anything.
The opportunity here isn’t just technical. It’s about respect for the person looking at your work. When your website loads fast, you’re saying, “I value your time.” When it’s slow, people feel it. They may not consciously think, “This business doesn’t respect me,” but they feel the friction. And they leave.
Why Slow Websites Happen (Usually)
Here’s what I see a lot of the time: a woman built her website five years ago. It was great then. Over time, she added images, she added more pages, she embedded videos, she added plugins (those are little tools that add extra functions to your site). Everything seemed fine because her website still looked good to her.
But what was happening behind the scenes is that all of those additions, all of those images that aren’t optimized, all of those plugins that are checking in every single time someone visits, they’re all working against you.
It’s not a failure on your part. It’s just how websites age. They pick up digital clutter. They become slower versions of themselves.
The other thing that happens is that your website is being hosted on a server that worked fine in 2018 but is now crowded and overworked. Or the theme you chose (the template that controls how your site looks) was updated so many times that it became bloated with features you don’t even use.
Again, not a failure. Just an opportunity to clean it up.
The Connection Between Speed and How People Perceive You
I want to be honest about something I’ve noticed over 30 years in sales and marketing: the speed of your website affects how people perceive you, even if they don’t realize it.
A fast website feels professional. It feels like you have your act together. It feels like you’re current. Like you care.
A slow website, even if your content is beautiful and your services are incredible, makes people wonder a little. It makes them feel like maybe you’re not as on top of things as they thought. And I know that’s not fair, because you’re probably incredibly on top of your business. But that’s the feeling a slow website creates.
Here’s what a lot of business owners I talk to tell me: “Every time I have to share my website with someone, I feel a little embarrassed. It’s fine, but it feels old.” A slow website amplifies that feeling. It’s like showing someone your business and having them wait awkwardly while you’re getting ready.
When your website is fast, you don’t think about it. You just share it confidently.
What Slow Actually Means (and How to Tell)
I want to define this because I think a lot of people aren’t sure what “slow” actually means.
Slow is: if you click on a page and it takes more than 3 seconds for the text to appear.
Slow is: if you’re on your phone and an image takes forever to load, or you have to wait to scroll down and see the next section.
Slow is: if you click a button and nothing happens for a few seconds before the page changes.
Fast is the opposite. You click, and things happen immediately.
Now, here’s the thing, some of that depends on the person’s internet connection. Someone on a slow connection will have a different experience than someone on fast internet. But that’s exactly why it matters. You want your website to work reasonably well for everyone, including people who don’t have perfect internet.
To check your own website, you can use free tools (I like Google PageSpeed Insights, you can just search for it). Type in your website address and it will tell you how fast your pages load on phones and computers. You’ll get a score, and it’s pretty straightforward.
Or, and this is easier, just try to load your website on your phone and see how long it takes. Time it if you want to. Try it on a slower connection if you can (some places still have slower internet). Does it feel slow to you? It probably is.
What’s Usually Causing It (The Usual Suspects)
Let me walk through the most common reasons I see websites slow down:
Too many or too large images. This is the number one culprit. Someone uploads a beautiful 10-megabyte photo of themselves, and it looks great on the website, but it takes forever to load. Photos need to be compressed and optimized before they go on your site. I see a lot of this.
Too many plugins. I mentioned this earlier, but each plugin is a little piece of code that runs every time someone visits. If you have 15 plugins doing 15 different things, your website has to do all 15 things every single time. Some of those plugins might be doing things you don’t even realize or don’t need anymore.
Outdated hosting. If you’re using a really cheap hosting plan, or if you haven’t upgraded your hosting in years, you might just be sharing a server with a thousand other websites. That slows everything down.
Too many fonts. Every font you use on your website has to load. So if you’re loading six different font styles, that’s six extra things happening behind the scenes. Simple is faster.
Unoptimized code. This is where it gets a little technical, but basically if your website’s code wasn’t cleaned up or built efficiently, it’s running slower than it needs to. A lot of website templates come with code that’s not optimized, and it just slows things down.
Scripts and ads. If you have Google Analytics, or Facebook pixels, or any kind of tracking, those are all tiny scripts that run every time someone visits. If you have ads on your site, same thing. They all add up.
The good news is that most of these have straightforward fixes. You optimize your images, you clean up your plugins, you upgrade your hosting, you simplify your fonts. It’s not magic, but it does make a difference.
The Opportunity Here
I want to frame this the way I actually see it: this is an opportunity to make your website feel like the current, capable version of you.
Because here’s what happens when you speed up your website: you’re not just making a technical improvement. You’re actually improving how people experience you. You’re removing friction. You’re showing respect for their time. And you’re showing that you’re current and professional.
A lot of the women I work with are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. They’ve been in business for a long time. They’re excellent at what they do. And one of the things they’re often worried about is seeming outdated or not current. A slow website actually reinforces that worry, even though it has nothing to do with how good they are at their work.
When you fix the speed, you’re not changing what you offer. You’re just making sure people can experience it.
If you visit my website, you’ll notice it loads quickly. That’s intentional. Because I know how important it is. I make it easy, and that includes making sure your experience is smooth the first time you land there.
How to Actually Fix It (If You Want To)
You have a few options here:
Option one: you can do some of this yourself. If you’re on WordPress (which a lot of women are), there are plugins specifically designed to optimize your images and speed up your site. You’d compress your images, delete plugins you’re not using, and simplify your design a little. This takes some time, but it’s doable. You could spend a weekend on this if you wanted to.
Option two: you can hire someone. A web developer or designer can look at your site, identify what’s slowing it down, and fix it. This is faster and usually more thorough. It’s an investment, but if your site is really slow, it’s worth it. It usually takes a couple of weeks, not months.
Option three: you can do a bigger update. Sometimes a website has gotten so slow, or so outdated, that it’s actually faster to redesign it from scratch with modern tools and practices. This is a bigger decision, but a lot of women I work with find that it’s the right choice. Their website has grown with them, but they’ve outgrown it. A new design is like taking a breath. We can talk about this if you’re curious, but there’s no pressure.
The point is, you don’t have to choose right now. But at some point, when you’re ready, it’s worth paying attention to.
The Real Reason This Matters (Beyond the Numbers)
I’m going to be real with you for a second. The reason website speed matters isn’t actually about speed, if that makes sense.
The reason it matters is about how you feel when you’re sharing your work with someone.
Every time you tell someone about your business, you’re about to share your website. And if your website is slow, there’s a tiny moment where you feel a little nervous. You might think, “I hope it loads okay.” You might feel a little apologetic. “It’s a little slow, but…” And that energy comes through.
When your website is fast, you don’t think about it. You just share it. You feel proud. You feel like it represents you well.
That’s the real opportunity. It’s about you feeling like your website actually shows up the way you show up.
Unlike a fairytale, the magic continues past midnight, but only if you’re maintaining it. And maintenance doesn’t have to be complicated. Speed is just one piece of that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my website is too slow?
Open your website on your phone and pay attention to how long it takes to load. If it takes more than 3-4 seconds before you can read the text, it’s probably slow. You can also use Google PageSpeed Insights (just search for it), put in your website address, and it’ll give you a score. Anything under 50 is pretty slow, 50-90 is okay, and over 90 is good.
Will speeding up my website cost me a lot of money?
It depends. If you do some optimization yourself, it’s mostly your time. If you hire someone, it usually costs a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars depending on how much work it needs. But think of it this way, if speed is costing you even a few potential clients a month, it pays for itself pretty fast.
Does my website need to be the fastest one ever?
No. You don’t need to be lightning fast, but you do need to be reasonable. Most people are fine with 3-4 seconds. The difference between 3 seconds and 5 seconds feels huge on a phone. The difference between 1 second and 3 seconds is good, but not necessary if you can’t get there.
What if I’m on a platform like Squarespace or Wix, can I make those faster?
Those platforms handle a lot of the technical stuff for you, which is nice. But you can still optimize your images and clean up your design. You may not have as much control as you would on WordPress, but you can still make improvements. The basics still apply, just with less control on your end.
If your website no longer feels like you, let’s talk about it – Book a Free Website Clarity Call with Beth →
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