Load Times of the Top 20 Websites by Industry
In today's digital age, website performance is crucial for user experience and search engine rankings. One of the most important factors in website performance is load time, which can significantly impact user engagement and conversion rates. In this blog, I take a detailed look at the load times of the top 20 websites across various industries, specifically for Australian traffic.
The list of top websites has been sourced from Semrush, a leading tool for traffic analysis. I conducted the speed tests using GTMetrix, leveraging their Sydney location to ensure the results are relevant to Australian users. For accuracy, each website's load time is the average result of three tests.
This post will be regularly updated as I add data for more industries, providing an ongoing resource for businesses looking to benchmark their website performance against the top players in their field.
Top 20 Retail Websites
With Australian internet users increasingly turning to online retail, the performance of ecommerce sites has never been more critical. This section delves into the top 20 retail websites in Australia, providing insights into their performance through a comprehensive analysis of their load times.
The data presented here is derived from SemRush for traffic rankings as of August 2024, and the load times are ascertained via GTMetrix tests conducted in September 2024. This data can be used to compare with where your own website sits.
Site speed can have a large finacial impact on a business echoing findings from recent studies that suggest websites with a load time of 1 second enjoy a conversion rate 3x higher than those that take 5 seconds to load.
Traffic Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Website
ozbargain.com.au
amazon.com.au
ebay.com.au
bunnings.com.au
woolworths.com.au
jbhifi.com.au
kmart.com.au
coles.com.au
aliexpress.com
bigw.com.au
chemistwarehouse.com.au
etsy.com
officeworks.com.au
myer.com.au
samsung.com
ikea.com
harveynorman.com.au
catch.com.au
supercheapauto.com.au
theiconic.com.au
Monthly Traffic
73,118,150
61,247,474
40,719,404
29,825,048
21,179,165
19,560,101
19,432,828
14,530,086
13,802,200
12,948,714
12,064,496
10,957,406
9,377,542
8,894,391
8,558,672
7,674,023
6,411,878
6,153,743
5,971,550
5,818,062
Load Time (s)
11.53
2.67
2.43
6.13
3.73
10.60
3.87
10.03
9.30
7.60
9.47
4.07
5.33
10.63
2.43
1.87
10.27
6.47
15.10
5.03
The load times above have been based on the 'Onload Time' as the metric for our analysis, given that 'Time to Interactive' and 'Fully Loaded Time' are often skewed by elements such as carousels and sliders. This method provides a clearer picture of the initial user experience on each site.
Summary
It was somewhat surprising to see the number of underperforming websites among the top 20 retail sites. Ikea and Etsy stood out with exceptionally smooth user experiences, clearly reflecting their investment in website optimisation.
Conversely, it was disappointing to see that the highest-ranked website suffered from poor performance, generating over 650 requests upon accessing the homepage. This likely indicates extensive use of analytics scripts. Given its top position, it's possible that this site leverages the analytical data effectively, but the impact on performance is undeniable.
The examination of load times across Australia's top 20 retail websites reveals a broad spectrum of performance, underscoring the critical role of website optimisation in e-commerce success. As we have seen, even the most trafficked websites can suffer from suboptimal load times, potentially diminishing user satisfaction and conversion rates.
For retailers, this analysis serves as a reminder of the competitive advantage that can be gained through continuous performance enhancements. Implementing efficient coding practices, reducing server response times, and optimising content delivery can significantly improve load times, thereby enhancing user experience and boosting business outcomes.
As digital commerce continues to evolve, staying ahead of performance metrics will be crucial for maintaining customer loyalty and achieving business growth. We encourage all businesses to regularly review and optimise their web performance to ensure they meet the evolving expectations of their users.