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How to check website speed

Separate internet connection speed from website response time and choose the right diagnostic.

The short answer

Run a website speed test on the page URL and start with time to first byte (TTFB): under 800 ms is good. Then check HTML size, compression, redirects, and render-blocking scripts, and use PageSpeed Insights for in-browser Core Web Vitals.

Use the free Website Speed TestUse the free Website Score CheckerUse the free Internet Speed TestUse the free Website Health Checker

Step by step

  1. Open Website Speed Test and enter the full page URL.
  2. Read the speed score and the request timeline (DNS, connect, TLS, server wait, download).
  3. Fix checks marked Poor first: slow TTFB, missing compression, redirect hops, render-blocking scripts.
  4. Run the Advanced 3-sample test to confirm a slow result is consistent, not a one-off.
  5. Use Internet Speed Test separately if you suspect your own connection is the problem.

Technical details

  • TTFB covers redirects, DNS, connection, TLS, and server processing. Google rates 800 ms or less as good and over 1.8 s as poor.
  • Website speed and internet speed are different measurements: one is the site's server and page weight, the other is your connection's bandwidth.

Common mistakes

  • Calling a fast internet connection proof of a fast website.
  • Testing only once during unusual server load.
  • Ignoring caching, images, and client-side work.

Limitations

  • The SiteIndex test measures server response and HTML delivery; it does not render the page in a browser or collect real-user field data.

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