In terms of technology, every advancement we are making, is elementarily aimed towards making things more efficient, fast and available on the go. 21st century is the era of speed, and in such an era a time consuming page loading will not be tolerated by the viewers. Latest mobile apps, technological upgrades to mobile devices, newer web browsers and all other current digital product launches are focused towards making things lighter and faster. 

In a scenario when time-efficiency is of utmost importance, the audience will quite certainly lack the patience to sit through a time-consuming page loading of a website. Researches show that on an average, a viewer expects a page to load within 2 seconds. Any further delay, will push the viewer to the edge of his/her seat and turn him/her restless; getting ready to leave the website at any moment. The loading speed of a website is determined by various factors such as the host, design and coding. 

Now what search engines like Google do, is to optimize the user search and provide with links that are most relevant and appropriate to the user's need. However this relevancy is not just in terms of content. The search engines are clever enough to know, that apart from content, the end-user will also seek a user-friendly interface, a fast loading page, a safe and secure site and an attractive page design. Hence, while ranking the websites through search engine optimization, all these aspects are taken into consideration ( of which the page loading speed is a critical decisive factor.) As a result to which, a website with a slow loading speed will be penalized with a low ranking.

How Google sees page loading speed

Google always takes into consideration what's best for the end users. It always strives to enhance the UX or user experience. Typically an ecommerce website takes around seven seconds to load a page, whereas the desired loading time according to end-users is around two to three seconds. Ecommerce websites hitting closest to this desirable time window will be ranked higher by Google. As a matter of fact Google compares competing websites against each other on the scale of page loading time required and ranks accordingly ( although this ranking takes into consideration factors like country, device and network.) End-users when face a greater page loading duration, will instantly leave the website. Consequently, the business website fails to secure a conversion, and simultaneously, Google notes this exit and assigns a low ranking to the website. At a single shot the business looses both revenue and ranking. 

Factors hindering the page-loading speed

The host: Buying a cheap host domain will render nothing but a cheap speed. Ensure to buy premium offers to maximize the website speed both in present and long run.

Large sized files: Websites with enormous sized pictures will critically wreak havoc on the website speed. It is best not to attach unnecessarily large-sized files simply for the sake of show off, rather use promptly small and effective images that allure ( the end users ) and explain ( your purpose ) at the same time.

Browser, plugins and app incompatibility: Before launching the website it is advised to test run on all different browsers to ensure a generic smooth functioning. Further, efficiently optimize the plugins and apps that integrate with the ecommerce website. Failing to do so, will put the website speed at a snail's pace.

Media with external embedding: If the business chooses not to upload the videos to their host server, and embed the external link instead ( which is easier to do, ) the website loading speed will take a major hit.

A huge load of ads: Although the ads are a massive patron to the website's cause, they can also distract and appall the viewers and even slow down the website.

Coding factors: Employing double-barreled coding languages like HTML/CSS inefficiently or over-populating, will also diminish the loading speed of the website. 

Take into consideration all the factors affecting the website page to establish a fast loading ecommerce website for a greater revenue conversion and higher search engine ranking.