We Tested the Mobile Speed of 324 Digital Agency Websites. Just 1 in 10 Is Fast.
Digital agencies sell speed, conversion and search visibility to their clients. So we wanted to know: how fast are the agencies' own websites?
We ran Google PageSpeed Insights on the websites of 324 digital agencies, mostly in Europe and the UK, with some from outside Europe as a reference. We looked at the mobile performance score, because that is where most visitors arrive and where Google measures first.
The short answer: most agency sites are slow on phones.
The headline numbers
- Average mobile score: 61 out of 100. The median is 59.
- Only 34 of 324 agencies (about 10%) scored 90 or above, the range Google rates as good.
- 204 agencies (63%) landed between 50 and 89, which means "needs improvement".
- 86 agencies (27%) scored below 50.
- On desktop the same sites averaged 79. The gap between desktop and mobile is 18 points.
In other words, an agency site that looks fine on a laptop is often noticeably slower on a phone.
Speed by country
Countries with at least 9 agencies in our sample are listed individually. The remaining 25 countries are grouped under "Other":
| Country | Agencies tested | Average mobile score | Scored 90+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 9 | 72 | 2 |
| Switzerland | 9 | 71 | 3 |
| Norway | 9 | 71 | 1 |
| United States | 24 | 66 | 2 |
| Germany | 18 | 66 | 4 |
| Austria | 10 | 63 | 0 |
| Poland | 12 | 63 | 1 |
| United Kingdom | 51 | 62 | 7 |
| Croatia | 10 | 62 | 1 |
| Australia | 10 | 60 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 17 | 60 | 2 |
| France | 17 | 58 | 1 |
| Greece | 12 | 57 | 2 |
| Italy | 16 | 55 | 0 |
| Spain | 17 | 55 | 0 |
| Other countries (25 countries, fewer than 9 each) | 83 | 59 | 7 |
| All agencies | 324 | 61 | 34 |
Two things stand out. Sweden, Switzerland and Norway scored highest. And none of the 16 Italian or 17 Spanish agencies we tested reached 90 on mobile.
A caution: these are samples of 9 to 51 agencies per country, not every agency in the country. Read the table as a snapshot of what we tested, not as a ranking of countries.
Speed by website platform
The platform an agency uses matters, though our sample sizes here are small:
| Platform | Sites | Average mobile score |
|---|---|---|
| Headless (Sanity) | 7 | 72 |
| Webflow | 12 | 67 |
| WordPress (all variants combined, largest group) | 169 | 60 |
| WordPress with WPML (multilingual) | 17 | 58 |
| WordPress with WPBakery | 6 | 43 |
WordPress was by far the most common platform in our sample. Multilingual WordPress sites using WPML averaged lower than the rest, which is worth knowing if your site serves several languages. Page builders that add a lot of code, such as WPBakery in our sample, scored lowest. Treat these as directions, not rules: a well-built WordPress site can score very high, and a poorly built headless site can be slow.
Why this matters for you
- Mobile speed affects search. Google uses page experience signals, including Core Web Vitals, as part of how it evaluates pages. Speed is not the only factor, but a slow site starts at a disadvantage.
- Speed affects conversions. Visitors on slow pages leave before they act. This is the same problem many of these agencies are hired to fix for others.
- Multilingual sites need extra care. Every extra language adds pages, scripts and plugins. Without planning, each one adds weight.
What to check on your own site
- Run your homepage and one key service page through PageSpeed Insights, on the mobile tab.
- Look at the three biggest items under "Opportunities" and "Diagnostics", usually images, unused scripts and slow servers.
- Compress and correctly size images, and load images below the fold lazily.
- Remove plugins and scripts you do not use.
- If your site has several languages, test every language version, not only the homepage.
How we ran the study
- Tool: Google PageSpeed Insights, mobile performance score.
- Sample: 324 digital agency websites, 287 in Europe and the UK and 37 outside Europe as a reference. The list was compiled by us and is not a random sample of all agencies.
- Test date: 1 November 2026
- Limits: PageSpeed scores change from run to run and with server load. We tested each site once. Lab scores are not the same as the field data real visitors experience. We do not name the agencies.
- Our own site: cosiagency.com scores 98 on mobile and 100 on desktop in the same tool. We were not part of the sample.
What we take from this
Every country, every sector and every digital experience is different. I work between Italy and Turkey, and my focus is on understanding both cultures and developing business accordingly. I want to share that experience not only with these two countries, but with the whole world. That is why I can say this with confidence: a good website is never one-size-fits-all.
Speed is one of the few SEO factors an agency fully controls on its own site. The fact that nine in ten agency sites in our sample do not reach the good range tells us there is room to stand out, and room for any business to gain an edge simply by being fast.
If you want to know how your site compares, we offer a free analysis.
Related services: Web Design & Development · SEO