The world of web and digital is full of self-proclaimed professionals. Whether in IT, marketing, or communication, it is crucial to ensure that you are working with truly competent experts. Here is a method to quickly verify a professional's credibility: use Google PageSpeed Insights to evaluate their website.
Why Use Google PageSpeed Insights?
Google PageSpeed Insights is a free tool that analyzes the performance of a website. It provides scores in four categories: Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, and SEO. A reputable professional should be able to present high scores in each of these categories.
However, a perfect score does not guarantee an optimal overall site. Factors like user interface design (UI Design), content quality, and functionality are equally important but are not comprehensively measured by PageSpeed Insights.
Using PageSpeed Insights to check a website
To use this tool:
- Go to Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Enter the URL of the professional's or agency's website you want to evaluate.
- Click "Analyze".
In a few seconds, you will get an evaluation of the site for its mobile and desktop versions. The Performance criterion is the most impacted between these two versions as we expect a faster site for the mobile version.
Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, and SEO
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Performance
This category measures the loading speed of the site. A performant site offers a better user experience and is favored by search engines. -
Accessibility
Accessibility measures how usable a site is for everyone, including people with disabilities. A good accessibility score shows that the professional considers all users, which is essential for a modern website. -
Best Practices
This category evaluates whether the site follows current web standards. This includes aspects such as security and compatibility with different browsers. A professional with a good score here is up-to-date with the latest web trends and technologies. -
SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) measures how easily a site can be found by search engines. A good SEO score indicates that the professional knows how to optimize a site to attract more visitors. Note that there are other parameters to consider for good search engine ranking: Ads (SEA), emailing, social media, etc.
Exploring Additional Tools
While Google PageSpeed Insights is a great starting point, there are other tools to evaluate website performance:
- GTmetrix: Offers detailed performance analysis and recommendations.
- WebPageTest: Provides an in-depth view of the site's speed and performance.
- Lighthouse: Another Google tool, integrated into Chrome, that offers comprehensive performance audits.
Choosing the right technology is crucial
I set myself the challenge of achieving very high scores on PageSpeed Insights with this small site, focusing on essential technologies: HTML, CSS, and a bit of JavaScript, while paying particular attention to image optimization.
This return to basics, to coding without a CMS, does not mean that we should stop using CMSs. On the contrary, it primarily serves as a reminder that the initial stages of a project—studying, defining needs, and then selecting the appropriate technology—are crucial. In some cases, it may be advisable to consider new solutions, such as Headless CMSs.
Traditional CMSs like WordPress, Joomla, and Typo3 are still widely used and continue to evolve. Headless CMSs offer a flexible approach by separating the backend from the frontend, which can improve performance and increase scalability for certain types of projects.
Choosing The Right Digital Professional
By using Google PageSpeed Insights, you can verify a digital professional's credibility in seconds. Look for high scores in the four categories to ensure you are working with a competent expert.
By following these straightforward steps, you can sidestep digital charlatans and select credible professionals for your projects.
Remember, it's not those who talk the most who do the best. 😉
