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> This might be a somewhat controversial (or just reviled) opinion, but: why should search engine rankings care about page performance? They'll care because fa

> This might be a somewhat controversial (or just reviled) opinion, but: why should search engine rankings care about page performance? They'll care because faster results will generally mean happier and more engaged users who'll want to use your search engine again. This applies even more for mobile users where you might be waiting 10s of seconds before anything is rendered on a slow page.

zbentley 9y ago
That concerns me, if true. If users will blame the search engine for directing them to a page that is relevant yet slow, and the logical solution to that is that the search engine should ensure all pages are fast, doesn't that open up a bit of a can of worms about the search engine itself? I.e. if users blame the search engine for providing results for "whose religion is the best" that they disagree with, wouldn't the same logic incentivize the search engine makers to filter those results for users whose religious preference is known? It seems like a bad tradeoff to make: marginally increase user engagement by serving faster pages at the cost of potentially compromising the primary reason (relevance) that people use your search engine? I'm sure there is data supporting that decision, but this doesn't make it sit any better with me. It's like going to the library and saying "I'd like the complete works of Shakespeare, please" and having the librarian say "well, here's our theater section, but please pay special attention to these abridged/easy-reading versions of Shakespeare, since we think they'll make for a more enjoyable experience for you. The complete works are on this floor somewhere; you can find them yourself." I'm not saying that we'll automatically slide down that slope, just that it's there, and a bit slippery.
- seanwilson 9y ago
  Yep, I'm not saying it's without issues but I can see why Google wants to show users fast pages. I can relate when using a mobile: it's super frustrating when you're on the move, need a quick answer, the first link takes 20 seconds to load so you go back, you try another etc.

zbentley 9y ago

That concerns me, if true. If users will blame the search engine for directing them to a page that is relevant yet slow, and the logical solution to that is that the search engine should ensure all pages are fast, doesn't that open up a bit of a can of worms about the search engine itself? I.e. if users blame the search engine for providing results for "whose religion is the best" that they disagree with, wouldn't the same logic incentivize the search engine makers to filter those results for users whose religious preference is known? It seems like a bad tradeoff to make: marginally increase user engagement by serving faster pages at the cost of potentially compromising the primary reason (relevance) that people use your search engine? I'm sure there is data supporting that decision, but this doesn't make it sit any better with me. It's like going to the library and saying "I'd like the complete works of Shakespeare, please" and having the librarian say "well, here's our theater section, but please pay special attention to these abridged/easy-reading versions of Shakespeare, since we think they'll make for a more enjoyable experience for you. The complete works are on this floor somewhere; you can find them yourself." I'm not saying that we'll automatically slide down that slope, just that it's there, and a bit slippery.

seanwilson 9y ago
Yep, I'm not saying it's without issues but I can see why Google wants to show users fast pages. I can relate when using a mobile: it's super frustrating when you're on the move, need a quick answer, the first link takes 20 seconds to load so you go back, you try another etc.