Website speed scores, in plain words
Lighthouse is Google’s free site testing tool. It grades performance, accessibility and SEO out of 100, and 90 or above is good. Google treats a page as a good experience when the first screen appears within 2.5 seconds and the layout stays still while you read.
Three numbers are enough
| Metric | Plain meaning | Google’s “good” threshold |
|---|---|---|
| LCP | Time until the main content of the first screen appears | 2.5 seconds or less |
| CLS | How much the layout shifts while you read | 0.1 or less |
| INP | How fast the page reacts to a tap | 0.2 seconds or less |
Sources: web.dev, Web Vitals
Test your own site
- Open your site in Chrome
- Paste the address into pagespeed.web.dev
- Look at mobile and desktop scores separately
- Anything in red is where visitors are waiting
Real scores from five sites I built
| Site | Performance | SEO | First screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loui Boil | 100 | 100 | 0.7s |
| Aiden Realty | 99 | 100 | 1.0s |
| Brows For Life | 98 | 100 | 1.0s |
| K Eyelash & Lift | 95 | 100 | 1.0s |
| Illmatic Wraps | 95 | 100 | 1.3s |
Measured with Google Lighthouse (desktop) on September 21, 2026. The average performance score across the five is 97.
Common things that slow a site down
- Large photos uploaded as is
- A video or slider on the first screen
- Unused plugins and tracking scripts piling up
- Several font files loading at once
Common questions
Does a low score hurt my ranking?
Speed is one of many signals Google uses. The bigger cost is visitors leaving while they wait.
Is it normal for mobile to score lower than desktop?
Yes. The mobile test assumes a slow network and a modest phone, so it grades harder.