Chykalophia Docs
Performance

How to measure your site's speed

Free tools to check how fast your website loads right now, what the results mean, and how to share them with your team.

performancebeginner

Before you can improve your site's speed, you need to know where it stands. Several free tools can measure your site in minutes. This guide walks you through the most useful ones.

Quick summary

Google PageSpeed Insights is the best starting point — it's free, takes 30 seconds, and gives you the same data Google uses to assess your site. Test your homepage and one or two other key pages.

What you'll need

Beginner 5 minutes
  • Your website address (URL)
  • A browser — any browser on any device

PageSpeed Insights is Google's free speed testing tool. It shows your Core Web Vitals and gives specific recommendations.

Open PageSpeed Insights. Go to pagespeed.web.dev in your browser.

Enter your URL. Type your full web address (including https://) in the box and click Analyze. The test takes about 30–60 seconds.

Check the top section first. If your site has enough visitor traffic, you will see "Field data" — real measurements from real visitors. This is the most meaningful data. Below it is "Lab data" from a simulated test.

Look at your Core Web Vitals. Each metric is colored green (good), orange (needs improvement), or red (poor). Focus on any red or orange items.

Scroll down to "Opportunities" and "Diagnostics." These sections list specific things that are slowing your site down, with an estimated time saving for each.

Test mobile, not just desktop

PageSpeed Insights tests mobile by default. This is intentional — most web traffic is mobile, and Google primarily uses mobile performance for ranking. Switch to the Desktop tab to see both.

Tool 2: GTmetrix

GTmetrix (free at gtmetrix.com) gives a different perspective. It shows a waterfall chart — a visual timeline of every file your page loads — which is helpful for spotting what is taking the longest.

GTmetrix is especially useful when you want to see:

  • Which specific files are slowest to load
  • Where in the loading sequence bottlenecks appear
  • How your page loads over time (with a video playback feature)

The free plan is enough for most clients. You do not need to create an account to run a basic test.

Tool 3: Google Search Console (for real traffic data)

If your site has Google Search Console set up (ask us if you are not sure), it includes a Core Web Vitals report under the Experience section. This report is based on real visitor data over the past 28 days — not a simulation.

This is the most accurate view of how your site actually performs for your visitors. The report groups URLs by their status (Good, Needs Improvement, Poor) so you can see which pages need the most attention.

See What is Google Search Console? for more.

What to do with the results

You do not need to understand every detail of the report. The most useful things to note are:

  1. Your Core Web Vitals pass/fail status — are they in the green?
  2. The top two or three opportunities — these have the biggest impact
  3. Your overall performance score — for a rough comparison over time

If you see red scores or the report lists "Reduce unused JavaScript" or "Serve images in next-gen formats" near the top, those are priorities worth discussing with us.

Share the results with us

If you are unsure what to do next, take a screenshot of your PageSpeed Insights results (or copy the URL from your browser) and send it to us. We can walk you through what matters most.

How often should you check?

You do not need to check constantly. A useful rhythm is:

  • After any major site update or redesign
  • If you notice the site feeling slow
  • Once every three to six months as a routine check
  • Before a big marketing campaign (so you know the site can handle traffic)

Common questions

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Learn more

Core Web Vitals explained

Google's three key speed measurements explained in plain English — what they measure, what the targets are, and why they matter for your site.

What slows websites down

The most common causes of a slow website, explained in plain English — from oversized images to slow hosting to too many plugins.

On this page

What you'll needTool 1: Google PageSpeed Insights (recommended)Tool 2: GTmetrixTool 3: Google Search Console (for real traffic data)What to do with the resultsHow often should you check?Common questionsRelated guidesLearn more
How to measure your site's speed | Chykalophia Docs