Google launches Site Performance monitoring tool

Google has added to its Webmaster toolkit with a product called Site Performance that allows users to find out the speed at which their web site is operating.

The online Webmaster suite allows users to increase web site traffic, and to monitor and connect with visitors, according to the search giant.

Google software engineer Sreeram Ramachandran and Faster Web programme director Arvind Jain said in a blog post that Site Performance will generate increased customer retention and activity, and higher revenue.

"On Site Performance, you'll find how fast your pages load, how they've fared over time, how your site's load time compares to other sites, examples of specific pages and their actual page load times, and Page Speed suggestions that can help reduce user-perceived latency," said the blog post.

In related news, Google has released a new version of its homepage, which it said would cause less distraction to users than previous designs.

"The main feature of the new homepage is that it fades in. When the page first loads, it shows only our logo, the search box and the buttons," said Google Search vice president Marissa Mayer, software engineer Kris Hom and user experience designer Jon Wiley in a blog post.

"For the vast majority of people who come to the Google homepage, they are coming in order to search, and this clean, minimalist approach gives them just what they are looking for first and foremost.

"For those users who are interested in using a different application like Gmail, Google Image Search or our advertising programmes, the additional links on the homepage only reveal themselves when the user moves the mouse."