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Google likes speed! But users like speed as well! But google only punishes those who are among the slowest in their category. So you should focus on the experience of your users. Using different tools to optimize your code. Although it is google's speed tool, it is certainly not the holy grail of testing or a ranking full blown ranking factor at this time. The article you refer to is inspiring.. but written within a context. Companies that spend time and money on SEO optimization will eventualy spend time and money on speed metrics. thus the best companies com up high in google