How fast should a web page load?

ANSWER: as fast as you can turn the pages of a book. This is an important question these days as Google has decided that the next thing that they are going to improve on the internet is page load time. Google can dictate to all the rest of us. They manage the internet. They feel duty bound to ensure that the internet improves and expands because it benefits Google, financially. They have to govern the internet because no one else is or can.

If they can improve the internet and make sure that it is used more they will make more money. There is still a lot to do to improve the internet. There is still a lot of people who don't use the internet. And there is still a lot of internet providers who provide a slow service.  I am guessing but Google is probably thinking of the important emerging markets: South America, India and China (when they stop censorship).

In order to ensure that pages load at a reasonable speed across the globe, Google has changed their algorithm to force people who are internet publishers to lighten their webpages so that they load fast.

To assist in this task they have a website that allows you to check the load speed of your webpage by their standards. These are their standards please note. They assess the page, provide a mark out of 100 and offer advice. Follow it.

Google have demonstrated their keen desire to improve the internet in terms of page load speed by rejigging Adsense load methods so that it does not delay page load. You will see this. The Adsense loads after the page.

CONCLUSION: Make sure that your pages load fast. Redo the images. Make them lighter. Is a GIF a better format? Do you need all those third party scripts etc. Is the page too long? They all slow load times. The modern idea is a process of dumbing down or less science and more practicalities. Don't make a page too good by making it too long. Think concise.