At present, Google Analytics 4, despite its multitude of features, doesn’t include built-in page speed insights. This is a contrast to its predecessor, Universal Analytics. Yet, page speed continues to be a crucial metric for site performance.
How to measure page speed insights?
The tool known as PSI (PageSpeed Insights) is your key to measuring site speed. PSI provides comprehensive data and insights into the performance of your site, making it an essential part of your Google Analytics 4 toolkit.
Notably, PSI provides details about page loading times and an array of additional metrics such as First Contentful Paint (FCP), Time to Interactive (TTI), Speed Index, Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and more.
Note: The PageSpeed Insights tool is a free service offered by Google, designed to measure page speed on both mobile and desktop devices. It also provides valuable recommendations on how to optimize your site speed.
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Try Martin's ReportDeep Dive: Making Sense of Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Among the important metrics provided by PSI is the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Think of CLS as a measure of your site’s visual stability. If elements on your webpage move around a lot as it loads, that can be frustrating for your site’s visitors. This is what CLS tracks. The lower the CLS score, the less your page elements move around, which is a good thing. By using the recommendations from the PageSpeed Insights tool, you can improve your CLS score, leading to a smoother, more user-friendly experience on your site.
Martin Kura
A multi-cultural nerd, digital marketer and SEO/content enthusiast. Likes good beer, dry wine, loves to cook and sing (sometimes all at once).