Google’s updated PageSpeed Insights tool has now been released, under a new url: pagespeed.web.dev . It's one of Google's most useful tools, allowing webmasters to see how their pages are performing against ranking criteria such as the Core Web Vitals.
Announcing that the updated tool was now live, Google’s Addy Osman said it provided a more intuitive way to measure and improve performance using real world and lab data
Google had announced the major redesign earlier this month, saying they were taking the opportunity also to address interface-related issues which had made it difficult for users to navigate the report and interpret the data.
New features
Separation of field and lab data
One problematic aspect of the old interface was the lack of clear differentiation between field data and lab data. (For a clear explanation on the difference between the two, see this web.dev blog post.)
Field data and lab data now have separate and distinct sections in the UI. The field and lab data labels have been dropped and replaced by wording explaining what the data means and how it can help.
The field data section has been brought to the top and the lab-based performance score, which was shown at the top, has been moved down to the lab data section to avoid ambiguity about the origin of the score.
Field data section
Lab data section
Expanded Core Web Vitals assessment
The assessment for Core Web Vitals used to appear simply as ‘passed’ or ‘failed’. It now has a separate subsection with a distinct icon in the field data, which helps it stand out. (See the field data section image above).
Google notes that there is no change in the assessment process for Core Web Vitals.
Clearer labels for mobile and desktop
Links to switch between mobile and desktop have been moved to the report page making them more visible, and showing more clearly which platform the data is being displayed for.
Origin summary
The origin summary, which provides the aggregated CrUX score for all pages from the origin, used to appear on clicking a checkbox. It has been moved to a new tab, under the field data section.
Additional information
The report includes a new information section at the bottom of each field and lab card sharing the following information about the sampled data:
- Data collection period
- Visit durations
- Devices
- Network connections
- Sample size
- Chrome versions
Google's aim is to make the distinction between field and lab data super clear, helping users who may have been confused about this.
Expand view
A new Expand view provides details and a more granular view of your site’s Core Web Vitals scores.
Page image
The page image screenshot has been removed. The image and thumbnails of the page displaying the loading sequence are now available in the lab data section.
Data consistency between tools
Google is updating web.dev/measure to be directly powered by the PageSpeed Insights API. Previously developers would see different Lighthouse numbers in the two tools (mainly due to /measure originating all tests from the US). With both now calling the same API directly, users will get a more consistent experience.
When it announced the update earlier this month, Google said the tool was due a redesign and revamp and contained a lot of legacy code.
Addy Osman’s tweeted gif runs through the different designs the tool has had since 2013, so if you’re interested in the history check it out!
For more details on the update, see Google’s web.dev blog post: https://web.dev/whats-new-pagespeed-insights/
Up to date product documentation for the PageSpeed Insights tool is available here: https://developers.google.com/speed/docs/insights/.
