Chrome May Warn Users of Slow Pages Before They Click

Google Chrome announced a plan to introduce badging as a way to encourage publishers to improve site speed. Google proposed a contextual menu on links that will tell users, before they click, that a site is slow. The goal is to reward fast sites.

Reward for Fast Sites?

According to Google, the purpose of the badging is to “reward” fast sites and to warn users of slow sites as a way to provide value to them.

Google published an example of what the slow speed badge could look like:

Will the slow speed badge inserted between a user and a slow loading web page increase abandonment rates? Is causing users to abandon slow pages for faster pages what Google means by rewarding fast web pages?

What is the Goal of Badging?

Google’s announcement stated that the intent of the badging was to reward fast sites.

This is what Google announced about the reward:

“We think the web can do better and want to help users understand when a site may load slowly, while rewarding sites delivering fast experiences.”

Google Announcement

This is an example of a possible form of positive feedback that a fast loading site might receive.

Chrome Speed Badge is a Work in Progress

Google said that the proposal for the speed badging is still being worked out.

According to Google:

“This may take a number of forms and we plan to experiment with different options, to determine which provides the most value to our users.”

Google

Badging Will Expand Beyond Speed

Google plans to incorporate other performance badges beyond speed. Google didn’t give examples of what these other metrics were.

“Our long-term goal is to define badging for high-quality experiences, which may include signals beyond just speed.”

Google

Article by, Roger Montti / November 12, 2019