TL;DR
Speed is part of modern ranking. Google’s core ranking systems look to reward good page experience, and Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) are used by those systems. Faster pages help you pass those thresholds.
Bots crawl more when your site is fast. Google reduces crawl rate on slow or error‑prone servers, which can delay indexation and updates (no crawl = no rank). Google for Developers
AI search surfaces use the same pipeline. To show up in Google AI Overviews/AI Mode, your pages still need to be crawled, indexed, and provide a great page experience—no special “AI SEO” markup. Google for Developers
Bing factors in load time, which matters for Bing search and AI experiences built on Bing’s index (e.g., Copilot). Search Engine Land
Why speed matters for SEO
1) Google uses page experience signals (including Core Web Vitals)
Google recommends achieving good Core Web Vitals because it aligns with what their core ranking systems reward. Targets: LCP ≤ 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1 (measured at the 75th percentile of real users).
Note: In March 2024, INP replaced FID as the responsiveness metric in Core Web Vitals. web.dev
2) Fast sites get crawled and refreshed more reliably
Google sets a crawl capacity limit per site to avoid overloading your server. If your site responds quickly, the limit rises and Googlebot can fetch more; if it slows or throws errors, Googlebot backs off. That directly impacts how quickly new or updated content appears in search. Google for Developers
3) Speed supports better engagement
While relevance always trumps everything, when multiple pages are similarly helpful, better page experience can contribute to success in Search. Faster pages typically reduce friction and abandonment, which aligns with what Google’s systems seek to reward. Google for Developers
Why speed matters for AI rankings
1) Google’s AI features build on Search
AI Overviews and AI Mode surface links from the same underlying index. To be eligible, your page must be crawled, indexable, and snippet‑eligible; best practices for classic SEO still apply—including page experience. There’s no special AI markup to add. Google for Developers
What this means: if your site is slow and Google scales back crawling, you’re less likely to be included (or updated promptly) in AI answers and link carousels.
2) Bing (and by extension Copilot) considers load time
Bing’s published guidance highlights page load time among ranking considerations. Since Copilot relies on Bing’s index and ranking systems, performance improvements that help Bing can also help your visibility in AI‑assisted experiences. Search Engine Land
“What’s a good speed?” Practical targets
Aim to pass all three Core Web Vitals for at least 75% of real‑user page views:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): ≤ 2.5s
Interaction to Next Paint (INP): < 200ms
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): < 0.1 Google for Developers
Use PageSpeed Insights, Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report, and Lighthouse to monitor and debug.
Quick wins HostBible customers can tackle first
1) Images (often 40–70% of page weight)
Convert hero and large images to WebP/AVIF; serve responsive sizes (
srcset) and compress aggressively.Lazy‑load below‑the‑fold images/iframes; do not lazy‑load the LCP image.
2) JavaScript & CSS
Defer non‑critical JS; remove unused libraries; split bundles.
Inline critical CSS; defer the rest; minify assets.
3) Render path & resource hints
Preload the LCP image, critical fonts, and key CSS.
Preconnect to required origins (e.g., your CDN).
4) Fonts
Use
font-display: swap; subset and self‑host where possible.
5) Server & caching
Reduce TTFB: use efficient server configs, current runtimes, and database tuning.
Enable full‑page caching and object caching; place a CDN in front for global users.
Prefer HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 and Brotli compression.
6) Third‑party scripts
Audit tags; defer or load on interaction where viable (A/B testing, widgets, chat, analytics).
7) UX & layout stability (CLS)
Always reserve space for images/ads iframes; avoid layout‑shifting elements.
These changes directly improve Core Web Vitals and make crawling, indexing, and AI inclusion more reliable.
How to measure the impact (a simple plan)
Baseline: Run PageSpeed Insights for top templates (home, category, product/article). Save CWV field data and Lighthouse lab data. Google for Developers
Prioritize: Identify your LCP element, slow interactions (high INP), and layout shifts (CLS).
Fix in sprints: Ship image, JS/CSS, and caching/CDN improvements.
Verify: Watch Search Console’s Core Web Vitals and Crawl Stats for improved pass rates and higher crawl activity. Google for Developers+1
Rinse & repeat each release.
FAQ
Does speed outweigh relevance?
No. Google always prioritizes relevance; page experience becomes a differentiator when several pages are similarly helpful. Google for Developers
Do I need special “AI SEO” tags for AI Overviews?
No. There’s no special schema or file. Focus on being crawlable, indexable, and fast, with helpful content. Google for Developers
Is INP really the new responsiveness metric?
Yes—INP replaced FID in Core Web Vitals in March 2024. web.dev
Copy blocks for your Intercom article
Short description / subtitle (≤160 chars):
How page speed (Core Web Vitals), crawl budget, and server performance affect Google SEO, AI Overviews/AI Mode, and Bing/Copilot—plus practical fixes.
Suggested tags/keywords:
page speed, core web vitals, LCP, INP, CLS, crawl budget, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Bing Copilot, TTFB, CDN, caching, Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights
Suggested headings for the Intercom doc:
Why speed matters for SEO and AI
Core Web Vitals targets (LCP/INP/CLS)
How crawl budget depends on speed
Quick wins (images, JS/CSS, caching, CDN)
How to measure & monitor
Need help?
If you’re hosted on HostBible, our support team can help you:
confirm your LCP/INP/CLS bottlenecks,
enable/optimize caching & CDN, and
validate improvements with PageSpeed Insights and Search Console.