Why “Optimized” Sites Often Have Low Scores or Mixed Results
The primary reason many SEO-optimized websites do not achieve a perfect 100/100 PageSpeed score—or fail to rank despite technical optimization—is that Google’s ranking algorithm prioritizes “good enough” performance and high-quality authority over technical perfection. * PageSpeed is a Pass/Fail Metric: Google generally treats speed as a binary “red zone” vs. “safe zone” factor. Once your site is fast enough to not frustrate users, further gains in score (e.g., from 90 to 100) offer negligible ranking benefits.
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The Authority Gap: A technically perfect site with zero authority (backlinks, brand trust) will always be outranked by a “slower” site that has established massive industry trust and high-quality content.
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Lab Data vs. Field Data: The PageSpeed Insights (PSI) score is a “lab” simulation. Google’s actual ranking factor is based on “Field Data” (Core Web Vitals), which measures real user experiences that are often better than simulated scores suggest.
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Diminishing ROI: Achieving a 100/100 score often requires stripping away essential features like tracking scripts, high-resolution imagery, or interactive elements that actually drive business conversions and user engagement.
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Competitive Relativity: Rankings are relative. You don't need a score of 100; you only need to be faster or more useful than the competitors currently sitting on page one.
Introduction: The Myth of the Perfect Score
In the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), few metrics cause as much anxiety as the Google PageSpeed Insights score. Digital marketers and business owners often spend thousands of dollars chasing a 100/100 score, believing it to be the “holy grail” of rankings. However, a quick look at the top-ranking sites for competitive keywords reveals a shocking truth: many of the world’s most successful websites, including Reddit, Amazon, and even some Google-owned properties, rarely hit the perfect century mark. This “PageSpeed Paradox” stems from a misunderstanding of how technical SEO interacts with the broader goals of search engines and user experience.
1. PageSpeed as a Threshold, Not a Race
One of the most significant insights from experienced SEO professionals is that speed is a “threshold” metric. Google’s primary goal is to ensure users don't abandon a page due to frustration. If your website loads in under 2.5 seconds (the threshold for “Good” Largest Contentful Paint), you have essentially passed the test.
Pushing a site from an 85 to a 98 involves extreme technical maneuvers—such as removing all non-critical CSS or delaying all JavaScript—that provide almost zero additional “ranking weight” in the algorithm. Google’s algorithm is designed to penalize truly slow sites, not to reward the fastest site on earth with a permanent #1 spot. Once you are in the “green zone,” your efforts are better spent on content quality and link building.
2. The Dominance of E-E-A-T Over Technical Metrics
Google’s search quality guidelines emphasize Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). These factors carry significantly more weight than a few milliseconds of loading time.
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Brand Authority: An established brand with thousands of high-quality backlinks can afford a slightly slower site because Google “trusts” that their content is the most relevant answer to a user's query.
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Historical Performance: Sites that have provided value for over a decade have a “moat” of authority that technical optimization cannot easily overcome for a new competitor.
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Content Depth: A 2,000-word deep-dive article that answers every facet of a user’s question will outrank a 500-word “fast” page every time. Users prefer a slightly slower page with the right answer over a lightning-fast page with the wrong one.
3. Lab Data vs. Real-World Field Data
The scores most people see in PageSpeed Insights are “Lab Data”—simulated tests using a mid-tier mobile device on a throttled 4G connection. While useful for debugging, this is not what Google uses for ranking. Google uses the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX), which tracks “Field Data” from real users.
A site might have a low lab score because it uses complex scripts for customer support chats or high-quality product photos, but if the majority of its real users are on high-end iPhones with 5G connections, their actual experience (Field Data) remains excellent. If the Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID/INP, CLS) are in the green for real users, the technical “score” of 60 or 70 becomes irrelevant to the search algorithm.
4. The High Cost of “Over-Optimization”
There is a point where optimizing for a score begins to hurt the business. Modern websites rely on external scripts for essential functions:
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Analytics and Heatmaps: Essential for understanding user behavior.
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Marketing Pixels: Critical for running profitable ad campaigns.
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Live Chat: Vital for customer service and sales conversion.
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Custom Fonts and Brand Imagery: Necessary for brand identity and professional aesthetics.
A 100/100 score often requires removing these scripts. While the site becomes “technically” faster, it becomes “business-wise” useless. Most successful “SEO optimized” sites choose a balance where they maintain a score of 70-80, allowing them to keep the tools that actually generate revenue.
5. Competitive Benchmarking: The Real Target
SEO is a zero-sum game; you only need to beat the person next to you. If you are ranking for a keyword where the top 10 results all have an average PageSpeed score of 45, then your site with a score of 75 is already “fast” in the eyes of the algorithm for that specific niche.
Obsessing over a score of 100 when your competitors are at 30 is a waste of resources. It is far more effective to conduct a “competitive technical audit” to see what the baseline speed is for your specific industry. In many heavy industries or visual-heavy niches like interior design, “slow” sites are the norm, and “perfect” speed is not the primary ranking driver.
6. Search Intent vs. Technical Perfection
The most critical factor in SEO is matching Search Intent. Google wants to provide the best result, not the fastest one.
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Informational Intent: If someone searches for “how to perform heart surgery,” Google will prioritize a reputable medical journal (even if the site is clunky) over a fast-loading blog written by a non-professional.
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Transactional Intent: For “buy Nike shoes,” Google will prioritize major retailers with massive inventory and trust, even if their sites are weighed down by thousands of product images and tracking scripts.
If your content does not satisfy the user’s intent, no amount of speed will save your ranking. Many “SEO optimized” sites fail because they focused on the container (the website's speed) rather than the contents (the information provided).
7. Core Web Vitals: The Only Metrics That Truly Matter
Since 2021, Google has moved away from generic “speed” to specific user-centric metrics known as Core Web Vitals (CWV). Instead of chasing a 100 score, focus on these three pillars:
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Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How fast the main content loads. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
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Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How responsive the site is to clicks and taps. Aim for under 200ms.
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Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Does the page jump around while loading? Aim for a score of less than 0.1.
If you meet these three requirements, you have “passed” the SEO speed test. Any additional effort to raise a general PSI score from 80 to 100 provides zero ranking benefit and should be viewed as a luxury, not a necessity.
8. Why SEO-Optimized Sites “Stop” at Good Enough
Strategic SEOs recognize that the goal of a website is to convert visitors into customers. A site that is too “lean” feels unprofessional and lacks the persuasive elements needed for conversions.
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Video Content: Highly engaging but heavy for PageSpeed.
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High-Res Imagery: Essential for e-commerce but bad for scores.
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Interactive Tools: Calculators and quizzes are great for “Time on Page” and “Dwell Time” (positive SEO signals) but often drag down PageSpeed scores.
SEO professionals often intentionally leave these “heavy” elements on a site because the user engagement signals they generate are far more valuable for rankings than the marginal gain from a higher speed score.
Conclusion: A Realistic Roadmap for Success
To succeed in modern SEO, you must move beyond the vanity of the 100/100 score. The sites that actually dominate the search results are those that find the “sweet spot” between technical functionality and user value.
If you want your site to rank, follow this priority list:
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Content First: Ensure your content is the most comprehensive and authoritative answer to the search query.
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Pass Core Web Vitals: Ensure your real-world user data (Field Data) is in the “green” for LCP, INP, and CLS.
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Build Authority: Focus on getting high-quality mentions and links from other reputable sites.
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Stop at “Good”: Once your PageSpeed score is in the 70-85 range on mobile, stop optimizing for speed and start optimizing for user conversion and brand growth.
