Site Speed Identified as an SEO for 2010

Speed was identified as a key factor in Search Engine Optimisation for 2010 at a recent round table discussion in Manchester.

Confirming Google's recent findings that there is a direct correlation between website speed and business results, the panel of industry experts identified the speed at which website content is delivered as an increasing factor in improving user experiences.

Lawrence Jones, managing director of UKFast, who welcomed the panel, said, "I think it is a given that content is very important but now it is about the delivery of that content. I think Google is putting it higher up the search engine in its priorities and as far as I'm concerned it is about location, location, location - where the server is located and how we can deliver that packet of information faster than anyone else."

Following on from Matt Cutts' comments at the PubCon 2009 event, page load time was identified as an increasing concern in relation to Google's potentially changing priorities in 2010. With speed already a factor in the AdWords quality score and Google's increasing focus on it in relation to Chrome and Caffeine, faster websites were thought to be a future rankings winner.

Panellist and commercial director of High Position Terry Heffernan agreed, "By talking to our technical teams certainly we see that speed is going to be more important and it could be a window of opportunity.
"Speed is one of the elements of SEO but it is about fine-tuning the whole machine to deliver the best performance."

In addition to the speed at which content was accessed, the quality of the content itself was also credited as an essential SEO factor by the panel, which included Craig Stone from CSI Media, Tom Cheesewright, strategy director of And Digital, and Matt Rycroft, technical director of Oomagoo.

The use of social-networking and displaying richer, more varied content across a variety of channels was also thought to optimise business results and search rankings. Adopting a combined approach by using Twitter feeds, blog posts, press releases and video content was encouraged to achieve the ultimate universal search effect with links aiding customer flow.

Fundamentally, identifying and educating clients to understand that SEO is not simply a one-stop-shop but requires a multiple approach over time was collectively agreed to be the most effective way of climbing the Google rankings in 2010.

The round table discussions are held in association with UKFast with the aim of uniting business leaders to share advice and provide a wealth of ideas for other developing companies.