--- type: "Article" title: "page speed ranking factor | technical SEO foundations" description: "Google's page speed ranking signal from 2010 and the 2018 Speed Update, why it was retired as a named system, and what speed work still matters." resource: "https://www.laurelinlabs.com/search-systems/page-speed-system" tags: ["page-speed-ranking-factor", "technical-seo-foundations", "google-speed-update"] generated: { by: "laurelin-site-build/2026-09-02", at: "2026-09-02T12:00:00+00:00" } status: "stable" stale_after: "2027-03-02T00:00:00+00:00" --- # Page speed system The page speed system was Google's use of page load speed as a ranking signal: first for desktop searches in 2010, then for mobile searches through the July 2018 Speed Update. Google confirmed both, and described both as small, affecting only the slowest pages or a small share of queries. It was removed from Google's ranking systems guide in April 2023. Speed still matters through Core Web Vitals, which Google says its ranking systems use, so the practical job is fixing the slowest templates on mobile field data. ## What was the page speed system? The page speed system was Google's use of how quickly a page loads as a ranking signal. Google introduced site speed as a desktop ranking signal on [9 April 2010](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2010/04/using-site-speed-in-web-search-ranking), then announced on [17 January 2018](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2018/01/using-page-speed-in-mobile-search) that page speed would become a ranking factor for mobile searches from July 2018, calling it the Speed Update. Both announcements were deliberately modest. In 2010 Google said [fewer than 1% of search queries](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2010/04/using-site-speed-in-web-search-ranking) were affected and that the signal applied only to English searches on Google.com at that point. ## How did the Speed Update work? The 2018 Speed Update targeted the tail of slow pages rather than rewarding fast ones. Google said it applied the same standard regardless of the technology used to build the page, and that relevance could still outweigh speed. Google's post was [updated on 9 July 2018](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2018/01/using-page-speed-in-mobile-search) to say the Speed Update was rolling out for all users. Google said no tool directly indicated whether a page was affected, and pointed to the Chrome User Experience Report, Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights. ## What evidence is there that Google used a page speed system? The evidence label is Confirmed: Google announced both the 2010 signal and the 2018 Speed Update on its own blog. The retirement is also documented. The page speed system was listed as a retired system in Google's ranking systems guide until April 2023, when [Search Engine Roundtable reported](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-retired-ranking-systems-removals-35264.html) it had been removed from the retired list along with the mobile-friendly and secure sites systems. Speed has not disappeared from ranking. Google's current [page experience documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/page-experience) says Core Web Vitals, which include loading performance, are used by its ranking systems. The named speed system is gone; the measurement moved into Core Web Vitals. ## What should a site do about page speed now? Work on the slowest templates first, on mobile, using field data. Both Google speed announcements described an effect on the slowest pages, and Google's [Core Web Vitals report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9205520) splits results by device. A site whose mobile product or article template sits in the Poor group is the case the Speed Update was designed for. Do not expect a ranking lift from making an already fast page faster. The falsifiable version: if moving a template from Poor to Good in mobile field data produces no change in mobile rankings while desktop is stable, speed was not the constraint. ## Which Laurelin audit checks test for page speed? The new check [Mobile field performance lags desktop on the same templates](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/356-mobile-field-performance-lags-desktop-on-the-same-templates) looks for the mobile slow tail the Speed Update targeted. It measures a proxy through Core Web Vitals field data; the retired system itself cannot be observed. Related existing checks: [LCP over 2.5s](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/77-lcp-2-5s): loading speed as measured in Core Web Vitals today. [Excessive TTFB](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/80-excessive-ttfb): slow server response, which delays every later metric. [Render-blocking resources in head](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/87-render-blocking-resources-in-head): resources that delay first paint. [Uncompressed resources](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/83-uncompressed-resources): transfer size, which hurts most on mobile networks. [Images not in next-gen formats](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/85-images-not-next-gen-format): image weight, a common cause of slow LCP. ## What are the key dates for page speed ranking factor? - 2010-04-09: Google adds site speed as a ranking signal for desktop searches ([source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2010/04/using-site-speed-in-web-search-ranking)) - 2018-01-17: Google announces the Speed Update for mobile searches from July 2018 ([source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2018/01/using-page-speed-in-mobile-search)) - 2018-07-09: Speed Update rolling out for all users ([source](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2018/01/using-page-speed-in-mobile-search)) - 2023-04-21: Page speed system reported removed from the ranking systems guide retired list ([source](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-retired-ranking-systems-removals-35264.html)) ## FAQ ### Is page speed still a Google ranking factor? Not as a named system. The page speed system was removed from Google's ranking systems guide in 2023, but Google says Core Web Vitals, which include loading performance, are used by its ranking systems. ### How much did the Speed Update affect rankings? Google said it would only affect pages delivering the slowest experience and only a small percentage of queries, and that relevant content could still rank highly when slow. Hub: [Technical Foundations](/topics/technical-foundations.md)