About website response time checker
Response time is how long a site takes to start sending data after a request. Slow responses hurt user experience and search rankings.
Rough guide
- Under 200 ms for the server's first byte is good.
- Over 600 ms usually needs attention.
- Results depend on distance from the test location and on caching.
Improving
- Use caching and a content delivery network.
- Optimise database queries.
- Upgrade slow hosting.
A worked example
A page that takes 1.8 seconds to respond may be slow because of an unoptimised database query or a distant server. After adding caching, the same page may respond in 300 ms. Testing a few times, at different hours, gives a fairer picture than a single measurement.
What affects it
- Server location and power.
- Database and application speed.
- Caching and use of a content delivery network.
Test fairly
Run the test several times and at different hours. The first request after a quiet period can be slower because caches are cold, so compare typical results, not a single number.
