Our most recent article identified (and remedied) the 4 most common page speed testing mistakes we see website owners making, and it inspired us to do even more to help those who make mistake #2: Only testing from 1 location. In addition to recently adding 2 new server locations, we wanted to remind you of all the places we have testing engines running – to give you the most complete way to speed test your site from all over the world!
If you missed that article, the second mistake we covered was testing your website from only 1 location (often the default location). There needs to be a little research put into where your visitors will come from. Even if it’s just your best guess, you can always adjust later.
Why does it matter? Because you may see a result that your customers don’t, which can be frustrating for everyone involved. For example, if the default testing location is on the west coast of the US, and your business is local to New York City, the results you’ll see don’t reflect what your users will experience.
Of course, testing won’t often be available exactly where you are, but we can get very close. So let’s take a look at all of the testing locations offered to MachMetrics users, and a few of the other factors at play for each location.
Oregon, USA (US West)
If you’re looking to test how your website or app performs on the western half of the US, you’ll likely want to test from Oregon. When you set your site up for the first time, make sure to check the box for the location(s) you want to see results from.
Virginia, USA (US East)
If your business is based on the Eastern side of the country, you’ll find better success testing from our Virginia location. This includes large business hubs like New York, Florida, etc.
As you see in the above image, you can select as many locations as you’d like when you run your web performance test. One of the most common configurations we see our clients run is to select both US West and US East.
This gives you a nice average of the entirety of the United States of America. If your business or content is meant to appeal to a visitor from the US, this is a great way to ensure that your site is performant for them.
Frankfurt, Germany (Central Europe)
If you expect to see quite a few visitors coming to your site from Europe, you’ll have a couple of great options to test from – Germany and England.
Similar to those who test both sides of the US, by selecting both, you can get a great idea of how performant your site is in Europe. So if your business (or client base) is based in this area, this is a great set up for you.
Interestingly, if you check out various countries and their desktop vs. mobile market shares on StatCounter, Germany is one of the few examples of a country that still uses desktop more than mobile. This type of research allows you to tailor your performance to the population that you expect to visit your site.
London, England (Western Europe)
In addition to those of you who may test from London due to living in the area, there is a ton of business that goes back and forth from London to the US.
One of our clients runs a company that helps immigrants create and run a business in the States. However, he recently moved to the UK, so he now runs his US-based business from abroad, helping people from around the world.
This is obviously a situation where his website has to be performant around the globe. That’s the amazing thing about having so many testing location options. You can take care of clients all around the globe, and even if you or your business needs to relocate, you’ll have a testing location near you.
Mumbai, India
Countries in South and East Asia are often overlooked when it comes to web performance. However, if you run any kind of e-commerce or digital marketing website, that’s a mistake.
Both India and nearby China have a population of nearly 1.4 billion. That is a large share of the market to ignore.
Companies like Amazon, Walmart, etc. are spending a lot of time and money to ensure that their sites load just as well in these countries as they do in the US or Europe. After all, we’ve covered in great detail the effects of slow site speed on revenue (spoiler: it’s not good for business). Make sure your site is performant in these countries if you may see customers from the area.
Sydney, Australia
Long known as a country with incredibly poor internet speeds, achieving fast load times in Australia may seem like an uphill battle. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.
So how can you be successful? Just like you would optimize a site for any area. Following along with the tips we post here on our blog will go along way towards making sure our friends ‘Down Under’ can access our site.
Tokyo, Japan
Our final testing location is located in Tokyo, Japan. You know the drill by now, but this is an excellent location to pair with Australia and India to make sure your site loads quickly on the other side of the globe.
Again, anyone with an e-commerce site or software as a service should be testing their site from countries like these with thriving economies.
The Benefits of Testing Your Site From All Over The World
If you’ve never considered other locations when speed testing your site, now is a great time to start. And don’t worry! This came in as #2 on our list of the 4 most common mistakes we see, so you’re not alone.
The great thing is that you are now better prepared to offer a better product to visitors all around the globe. With MachMetrics, you can see how your site speed compares at each testing location, all in one dashboard. Better yet, our continuous testing ensures you never have to worry.
Now you know how to speed test your site from all over the world. Let us know below how your site fared in various locations!