Mastering Page Load Time Measurement in Adobe Analytics

Page Load Time is a crucial metric that significantly impacts user experience and SEO rankings. By measuring and optimizing page load times, businesses can improve website performance, enhance user satisfaction, and achieve better search engine rankings. This blog explores the steps to measure page load time using Adobe Analytics and provides insights on making the data actionable for marketers.

Why is Page Load Time Important?

Page load time affects both user experience and SEO performance:

1. User Experience: Slow-loading pages lead to higher bounce rates and reduced engagement.

2. SEO Rankings: Search engines like Google prioritize faster websites in search results, improving organic visibility.

Capturing Page Load Time in Adobe Analytics

1. Basic Implementation

Using the s_getLoadTime plugin, you can capture page load time and store it in a custom variable such as prop1.

Code Example:

s.prop1 = s_getLoadTime();  

This code assigns the page load time (in tenths of a second) to prop1. For instance, a load time of 3.75 seconds is captured as 38 in the report.

2. Capturing Time in Seconds

If you prefer capturing the load time in seconds for easier interpretation:

s.prop1 = (s_getLoadTime() / 10);  

Alternatively, when using Adobe Launch and the Common Analytics Plugins Extension, you can deploy the following code under the Page Load Rule:

if (s.pageName) s.getPageLoadTime();  
if (s._pltPreviousPage) {  
  s.prop10 = s._pltLoadTime;  
  s.prop11 = s._pltPreviousPage;  
  s.eVar11 = s._pltPreviousPage;  
}  
console.log("Page Load Time - " + s.prop10);  
console.log("Previous Page Name - " + s.prop11);  

The getPageLoadTime plugin creates two cookies:

• s_plt: Stores the load time (in seconds) of the previous page.

• s_pltp: Stores the page name of the previous page.

Visualizing Load Time Data

Once the data is captured, reports in Adobe Analytics will look like this:

Making the Data Actionable: Classifications

Why Classify Page Load Time?

Raw load time data (e.g., "3.75 seconds") isn't intuitive for marketers. Classification helps group data into meaningful ranges.

Creating Classifications

1. Using Classification Rule Builder
   Create a rule-based classification to group page load times into ranges such as:

   • Less than 1 second: \b(^0|0.[1-9])\b

   • 1–3 seconds: \b(^1|1.[0-9]|^2|2.[0-9])\b

   • 3–5 seconds: \b(^3|3.[0-9]|^4|4.[0-9])\b

   • 5–10 seconds: \b(^5|5.[0-9]|^6|6.[0-9]|^7|7.[0-9]|^8|8.[0-9]|^9|9.[0-9])\b

   • More than 10 seconds: [1-9][0-9]

2. Processed Data Example
   After classification, the report becomes more actionable for marketers:
   

   

Considerations for Single-Page Applications (SPA)

For SPAs, page load time is captured only once, as content loads dynamically without page reloads. Ensure additional success events are configured to capture SPA-specific performance metrics.

Best Practices for Measuring Page Load Time

1. Use Standardized Metrics: Capture load times in seconds for consistency across reports.

2. Optimize for Speed: Use load time data to identify and fix performance bottlenecks.

3. Monitor Trends: Analyze load time trends over time to measure the impact of optimizations.

4. Combine Metrics: Integrate load time data with other KPIs (e.g., bounce rates, conversions) for deeper insights.

Additional Resources

• Adobe Blog: Measuring Site Speed

• Measuring Page Load Time with Success Events

By effectively capturing, visualizing, and acting on page load time data, businesses can enhance user experiences and achieve higher SEO rankings.