About Website Speed Test
Comprehensive Overview
The Website Speed Test measures your website's real-world loading performance by sending an actual HTTP request and recording precise timing metrics. It measures DNS lookup time, TCP connection, SSL handshake, Time to First Byte (TTFB), total download time, page size, redirects, and HTTP headers. You receive a performance grade from A to F with a score out of 100, along with specific recommendations for improvement.
Page speed is a critical ranking factor for Google. Slow websites lose visitors and rank lower in search results. This tool helps you identify bottlenecks in your server response chain and take data-driven steps to optimize performance.
Key Features
- Performance Grade (A-F) — An overall score out of 100 based on TTFB, total load time, and page size, with a letter grade from A (excellent) to F (poor).
- Detailed Timing Breakdown — DNS Lookup, TCP Connection, SSL Handshake, Time to First Byte, Redirect Time, and Total Load Time measured in milliseconds.
- Page Analysis — HTTP status code, page size, content type, server IP, and final URL after redirects.
- Security & Caching Headers — Checks for HTTPS, Server, Cache-Control, Content-Encoding (gzip/brotli), HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and more.
- Actionable Recommendations — Specific advice based on your results: enable compression, add caching headers, reduce redirects, implement HSTS, etc.
- No Registration Required — Free and unlimited. Test any publicly accessible website.
How to Use
- Enter the Website URL you want to test (e.g., https://example.com).
- Click Process to start the speed test.
- Review the performance grade, timing breakdown, page info, and security headers.
- Follow the recommendations to improve your site's speed and security.
Technical Background
The tool uses cURL with detailed timing instrumentation to measure each phase of the HTTP request lifecycle. TTFB (Time to First Byte) is the most important metric — it measures the time from request initiation to receiving the first byte of response data, reflecting server processing speed and network latency. A good TTFB is under 200ms; under 600ms is acceptable.
The performance grade algorithm weighs TTFB most heavily (up to 40 points), followed by total load time (up to 30 points) and page size (up to 20 points). Grades: A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (50-69), F (below 50).
Use Cases
- SEO Optimization — Monitor page speed as Google uses it as a ranking factor (Core Web Vitals).
- Server Monitoring — Track TTFB to detect server performance degradation.
- Competitor Analysis — Compare your site's speed against competitors.
- Development Testing — Verify performance after deploying changes, CDN setup, or caching configuration.
- Security Auditing — Check for HTTPS, HSTS, and security-related response headers.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a good TTFB? — Under 200ms is excellent, 200-600ms is acceptable, over 600ms needs optimization. Consider server-side caching, a CDN, or faster hosting.
- Why is page speed important for SEO? — Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. Faster sites rank higher, have lower bounce rates, and provide better user experience.
- What is a good page load time? — Under 1 second is excellent, 1-2s is good, 2-3s is average. Over 3s may negatively impact SEO and conversions.