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Merlin Tools

How fast does your website load?

How long does a customer wait before seeing your site? We measure it with Google's engine and real Chrome user data, then order the fixes by impact.

Genuinely free. No sign-up, no email, no limits, no cookies. We don't store the URL you analyse.

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What this tool measures

Two things, and it's worth knowing the difference. The first is a lab test: Google's Lighthouse engine loads your page under controlled conditions and scores it out of 100, then lists the specific things holding it back: render-blocking files, heavy images, a slow server, and so on. The second, where it exists, is field data: what real Chrome users actually experienced on your site over the last month. The lab test is reproducible and diagnostic; the field data is the truth about your visitors.

Each fix in the report comes with a plain-language explanation of what it means, who it costs you, and roughly how much time it can win back, so you can decide what's worth doing first instead of drowning in jargon.

While you're here, the other checks are on the tools page.

Frequently asked questions

How is the test run?

It uses Google PageSpeed Insights, which runs the Lighthouse engine against your page, and, where available, the real experience of Chrome users over the last 28 days (the CrUX dataset). The lab test is reproducible; the field data tells you what people actually experience.

Why does speed matter for a small business?

Because visitors leave before they've read a word. Every extra second of load time raises the share of people who give up, especially on mobile, and it also weighs on your Google ranking. A slow site quietly loses you enquiries you never even see.

The score is low. Where do I start?

The fixes below are ordered by impact, with an estimate of the time each one can win back. Start at the top. Most of them, like image compression, text compression, and caching, are settings rather than projects, and can be handed straight to whoever manages your site.

Does the test change my site?

No. It only loads your page, exactly as any visitor's browser would. Nothing is written, changed or stored. We don't even keep the URL you enter.