---
title: "Portent: 1-second sites convert 2.5x higher than 5-second sites"
url: https://seomadman.com/reports/portent-page-speed-conversion-rate-2022
section: reports
published: 2026-09-19T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-09-19T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Technical SEO"]
---

# Portent: 1-second sites convert 2.5x higher than 5-second sites

## The short answer

Portent analyzed 5.6 million sessions across 20 B2B and B2C sites over a 30-day window. B2C e-commerce conversion rate fell from 3.05% at a 1-second load to 0.67% at 5 seconds, a 2.5x gap. B2B lead-generation conversion fell from roughly 40% to 13% over the same range, about 3x lower, and to 8% by 10 seconds.

## Key takeaways

- Portent's data covered just over 100 million page views and 5.6 million sessions across 20 B2B and B2C sites over a 30-day snapshot.
- B2C e-commerce conversion rate dropped from 3.05% at a 1-second load time to 0.67% at 5 seconds, a 2.5x difference.
- B2B lead-generation conversion rate fell from about 40% at 1 second to roughly 13% at 5 seconds, and to about 8% at 10 seconds.
- The six e-commerce sites converted far less often than the fourteen lead-generation sites, since a purchase is a higher barrier than submitting contact information.
- Portent flags its own 10-second data point as thinner than the rest, since fewer of the 27,000 landing pages in the sample loaded that slowly.

Portent, a digital agency, went back to a question it has revisited across several years of
client data: does page load time actually move conversion rate, or is the relationship mostly
folklore repeated from one blog post to the next. Its April 2022 analysis pulled from 20 of its
own client sites and found conversion rate dropping steadily as load time rose, in both directions
of its dataset.

## What did the aggregate data show

Portent split its sample into 6 B2C e-commerce sites and 14 B2B lead-generation sites, then
bucketed 5.6 million sessions by load time in one-second increments. For e-commerce, conversion
rate fell from 3.05% at a 1-second load to 1.68% at 2 seconds, 1.12% at 3 seconds, and 0.67% at 5
seconds, a 2.5x gap between the fastest and the 5-second mark. Lead-generation sites moved from
roughly 40% at 1 second to about 34% at 2 seconds, 29% at 3 seconds, and roughly 13% at 5 seconds,
close to a 3x drop over the same range. By 10 seconds, B2B conversion had fallen further to
roughly 8%, about a fifth of its 1-second rate.

| Load time | B2C conversion rate | B2B conversion rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 second | 3.05% | ~40% |
| 2 seconds | 1.68% | ~34% |
| 3 seconds | 1.12% | ~29% |
| 5 seconds | 0.67% | ~13% |
| 10 seconds | not separately reported | ~8% |

Portent's own write-up is direct about the shape of the curve: "a site that loads in 1 second has
a conversion rate 3x higher than a site that loads in 5 seconds" for B2B, and "2.5x higher than a
site that loads in 5 seconds" for B2C e-commerce.

## Why B2C and B2B sit so far apart

The two conversion curves fall at similar rates proportionally, but their absolute levels are not
close. Portent attributes that gap to what counts as a conversion in each case: "goal conversions
on websites are generally achieved at a higher rate than e-commerce conversions," since a form
fill is a lower-effort action than a completed purchase. That framing matters for anyone
comparing this report against a different one. A retailer benchmarking against the roughly 40%
B2B figure would be comparing against the wrong curve entirely; the e-commerce numbers, topping
out under 4% even at a 1-second load, are the relevant comparison.

Portent also flags a limit in its own dataset rather than smoothing over it: the 10-second bucket
for B2C carries a smaller sample than the faster buckets, because fewer of the 27,000 landing
pages in the sample were that slow to begin with. The agency reports the B2B 10-second figure but
does not publish a parallel B2C number at that load time, and this piece follows that same
boundary rather than filling the gap.

## Why we care

**Conversion sensitivity to speed is not a one-off finding.** Portent's aggregate numbers track
the same direction reported elsewhere, including a separate 2019 Deloitte study of 37 brand sites
that found conversion lifting when mobile speed improved. Two datasets built from different
methodologies pointing the same way is a stronger basis for a speed budget than either alone.

**Site type changes what "good" looks like.** A team running an e-commerce checkout should not
benchmark its conversion rate against a lead-generation site's, and should not expect the same
percentage-point stakes. The multiplier, not the absolute rate, is the number worth carrying into
a business case for a performance budget.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many sites and sessions did Portent actually analyze?

20 client sites, 6 B2C e-commerce and 14 B2B lead-generation, covering just over 100 million page views and more than 27,000 landing pages. Page load speed specifically was measured across 5.6 million sessions gathered over a 30-day window.

### Why is the B2B conversion rate so much higher than B2C in this data?

Portent's own explanation is the barrier to completion. A B2B goal conversion is usually a form fill, "a simple exchange of contact information," while a B2C conversion is a completed purchase. That gap in effort, not load time alone, explains why B2B rates sit near 40% at their best while B2C tops out near 3%.

## Sources

1. [Site Speed is (Still) Impacting Your Conversion Rate](https://portent.com/blog/analytics/research-site-speed-hurting-everyones-revenue.htm) - Portent (primary)