Hi {{given_name}},

Ever notice how some websites feel instant while others make you stare at a blank screen, wondering if your internet died?

You might be losing visitors before they even see your offer. And that one oversight could be costing you a significant chunk of your traffic and conversions.

💡 This week's 80/20 rule - Run your homepage through Google PageSpeed Insights, and fix only the #1 red flag it gives you.

🧠 When you fix your biggest speed issue first, you're addressing the bottleneck that's causing the most damage to your user experience and search rankings.

The mechanism is rooted in human psychology: 53% of mobile users will abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Google has officially made page speed a ranking factor, meaning slow sites get penalized twice: once by impatient users, and again by the algorithm. This is why a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%.

It's like getting a free health checkup from the world's largest traffic source. PageSpeed Insights doesn't just tell you something is wrong; it ranks your problems by impact, so you can fix the one thing that matters most and focus on the rest later.

🛒 Rakuten 24 – This major Japanese e-commerce platform ran a rigorous A/B test comparing a Core Web Vitals-optimized landing page against their baseline version. By improving their main loading metric by less than half a second and dramatically reducing layout shift, they achieved a 33% increase in conversion rate and a 53% increase in revenue per visitor.

⭐ Yelp – When new advertising features doubled their page load time, Yelp's team prioritized fixing First Contentful Paint. By optimizing this single metric, they achieved a 15% improvement in conversion rates while still keeping the new functionality.

Run PageSpeed Insights on your homepage first

Go to pagespeed.web.dev, paste your homepage URL, and click Analyze. Look at the mobile tab specifically since Google prioritizes mobile performance for rankings. This gives you the same data Google uses to evaluate your site, so you're seeing exactly what the algorithm sees.

Find your number one red flag

Scroll down to the "Opportunities" section. The tool ranks issues by impact, so focus only on the first item listed. For most service sites, this is "Eliminate render-blocking resources" or "Properly size images." Fixing just this one issue often delivers the majority of your potential speed gains.

Install an image compression plugin

For WordPress sites, install ShortPixel or Imagify. These automatically compress images when you upload them and convert them to faster formats. Most have free tiers that handle 100 images per month. Compressed images load faster without any visible quality loss to your visitors.

Test your product pages, not just your homepage

Run PageSpeed Insights on your three best-selling product pages. These are where conversions happen, so speed improvements here directly impact revenue. Your homepage might be fast, but if product pages are slow, you're losing sales at the moment of decision.

Compress product images automatically

On Shopify, this happens by default. On WooCommerce, install Smush or ShortPixel to automatically convert images to WebP format, which loads significantly faster than standard JPEGs. This single change can cut your image load times by a quarter or more.

Audit your plugins quarterly

Many stores accumulate abandoned apps and scripts over time. Remove anything you stopped using since each one adds overhead that slows your checkout. A quarterly cleanup prevents the gradual slowdown that happens as you add features without removing old ones.

1️⃣ The rule change: Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights and fix only the #1 red flag it identifies.

2️⃣ Why it works: Google ranks your speed issues by impact, so fixing the top problem delivers the biggest improvement with the least effort. Plus, 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load.

3️⃣ The result: A focused one-hour fix that directly addresses what's hurting your rankings and conversions most, rather than getting lost in a list of 20 technical recommendations.

🔎 For this week's website review, let's look at Bird & Blend Tea Co. Bird & Blend Tea Co. is a specialty loose leaf tea company based in Brighton, UK, creating over 100 hand-blended tea varieties with B Corporation certification.

💡 The Good:

Flavor-first product categorization

The website organizes products not just by type (loose leaf, matcha, tea bags) but also by emotional benefit and flavor profile. Categories like "Decadent & Indulgent," "Sweet & Comforting," and "Warming Flavours" acknowledge that tea purchasing is often driven by mood and occasion rather than botanical taxonomy.

Trust signals front and center

The prominent display of B Corp Certification at the top of the page, combined with the "20k+ 5 Star Reviews" badge, immediately establishes credibility without requiring customers to dig into hidden reviews or certifications pages.

Subscription positioning that removes fear

The "Subscribe & Save" section featuring "Save up to 5% on every order" combined with flexibility messaging ("Swap, skip or cancel anytime") presents subscription as a convenient option rather than a commitment trap. This reframes subscription from a lock-in mechanism to a money-saving convenience feature.

🔧 Suggestions:

Build-your-own sample set feature

The website offers subscription flexibility but lacks a customizable sample set builder where customers can select three to five teas from the entire range at a discount. A drag-and-drop interface where customers select specific teas and see accumulated discount tiers would likely increase average order value for new customers who currently purchase single items.

More prominent ingredient and allergen information

For a premium tea brand where specialty blends might contain bergamot oil or tree nuts, ingredient information should be prominently displayed before the customer adds a product to their cart. Enhanced transparency in this area would reduce customer service inquiries and cart abandonment from customers who are unsure whether a product suits their dietary requirements.

Brewing guidance and post-purchase content

Given that specialty tea quality depends heavily on brewing parameters (water temperature, steep time, ratio), the absence of visible brewing instructions represents a missed opportunity. QR codes on product pages linking to brewing video content or downloadable guides, plus an automated email sequence after purchase with brewing recommendations, could increase repeat purchase rates and reduce negative reviews stemming from brewing method failures rather than product quality issues.

See you next time for another simple, high-impact strategy!

The LOGO.com Editorial Team