Google Chrome has said it would begin to flag websites that load slowly due to poor coding.
Good revealed it was working on several “speed badging systems that let visitors know why a page is taking time to show up. The variations include simple text warnings and more subtle signs that indicate a site is slow.
The company has not given a specific date when the badging system will be included with the Chrome browser.
No date has been given for when the badging system will be included with the Chrome browser.
In a blog, Google said it started the project to “to help users understand when a site may load slowly, while rewarding sites delivering fast experiences”.
The company said it was working on metrics that could spot when sites are “authored” in a way that makes them slow generally. The quirks of many web technologies make it easy for developers to code pages so they take a long time to appear.
In addition, pages are often slow to load because they are waiting for responses from off-site resources such as ad networks, social media widgets or code that analyses user behavior.
Modes of indications could include text that says a page “usually loads slowly” or might change the colour of a progress bar to hint that the page is a laggard.
In the blog, Chrome engineers said its plan to identify sites would be refined over time and was designed to improve the way websites were created.
“We are being very mindful of our approach to setting the bar for what is considered good user experience and hope to land on something that is practically achievable by all developers,” it said.
Google’s Chrome browser is used by 64% of people who go online, figures from market research firm Statista suggest.
