The loading time of the first byte(Time To First Byte) is the time spent between the sent of the request to go on a page and the first byte received. It is not about the first appearance of the page but the first code lines the browser receives. This time depends on the DNS resolution time, connection quality (latency), geographical location, server performance, quality of the application generating the page and the cache system.
At Cocolyze’s, we analyze the average latency of our servers toward yours in order to give you a server fastness indicator more interesting for the analysis of your website’s performance
Google tends to show contents with a good user experience first. This way, a page with a too long TTFB can be penalized. In a more simple way, if your page is too long to load, the user might leave you to go back on the SERP and click on a competitor’s link. This action will increase the bounce rate of your link and penalizes your positioning.
We recommend a TTFB under 400ms (0,4s)
Increasing server fastness is a very technical move. Well often, the site is highly slowed down by one of your CMS plugin (Wordpress, Magento, Prestashop, etc.).
A simple solution, easy to do for everyone, is to deactivate each of your CMS plugin one by one, and then to test the fastness of your server thanks an analysis update. You will then be able to know which plugin makes your server slows down. Once the plugin identified, you can look for solutions : updates, find another plugin, deactivate it on some pages, or simply stop using this plugin.
If it is not a plugin ?
Often, a high TTFB can come from :
The solution then consists in looking in the website’s source code step by step with your technical support in order to identify the elements that cause a slow down of the server. Indeed, it is not always helpful to change for a more powerful web server.