Property brands have been named as one of the worst for online experiences, according to new research.
Brand communications agency Warbox analysed 1,000 UK websites using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool and Core Web Vitals to reveal the 14 sectors that offer the best – and worst – online experiences.
Property websites have a low average performance score at 73 – anything between 50-89 needs improvement according to Google.
Elsewhere, the research revealed that despite online retail being hotter than ever, with around £30m spent by Brits on fashion items last year, fashion brands have the worst online experiences with the lowest average performance score of 55. The sector’s websites are also slow at responding to interactions taking an average of 321 milliseconds.
CUSTOMER FIRST
The research comes as customers are increasingly abandoning sites with slower speeds and a poor UX, but they are willing to pay 80% more for a good online experience.
Sectors with the worst websites
|
Sector |
Index score |
Average performance score |
Average FCP |
Average LCP |
Average INP (milliseconds) |
CLS |
|
Fashion |
384 |
55 |
0.86 |
3.1 |
321 |
0.12 |
|
Charity and not for profit |
395 |
78 |
0.85 |
2.3 |
146 |
0.06 |
|
Education |
399 |
70 |
0.79 |
2.5 |
288 |
0.11 |
|
Marketing |
403 |
79 |
0.76 |
1.9 |
152 |
0.07 |
|
Property |
403 |
73 |
0.73 |
2.4 |
184 |
0.15 |
LOW PERFORMANCE SCORE
The property sector offers the 5th worst online experience with a low average performance score of 73. The largest on-page content takes 2.4 seconds to load, which is better than fashion’s 3.1 seconds.
The research also revealed the sectors offering the best online experience.
Sectors with the best websites
The retail sector offers the best online experience with an average performance score of 66 and it’s fast to respond to interactions. The largest piece of content also takes just 2.6 seconds to load.
|
Sector |
Index score |
Average performance score |
Average FCP |
Average LCP |
Average INP (milliseconds) |
CLS |
|
Retail |
419 |
66 |
0.82 |
2.6 |
295 |
0.14 |
|
Public sector |
415 |
78 |
0.69 |
1.8 |
170 |
0.10 |
|
Manufacturing |
414 |
77 |
0.76 |
2.3 |
181 |
0.10 |
|
Transport and logistics |
413 |
72 |
0.85 |
3 |
175 |
0.16 |
|
Healthcare |
408 |
78 |
0.79 |
1.2 |
175 |
0.09 |
NOT UP TO SCRATCH
Mark Fensom, director at Warbox, says: “In 2025, if your website’s UX isn’t up to scratch, visitors have plenty of alternatives.
“Websites do need to look pretty but this shouldn’t be prioritised over functionality or accessibility, otherwise you risk being penalised by Google and visitors.
“The data reveals that fashion websites are slower to react to interactions, which is in part the reason why websites are lagging behind.
“Speed matters and not just for brands trying to outpace competitors. Slow sites, which I’m sure everyone has experienced, are frustrating especially when you’re in the middle of an action.”
