What is PLS by acquisition channel
PLS by acquisition channel lens breaks down Perceived Load Speed (PLS) based on how users first arrived on your site. Channels typically include Organic Search, Paid Search, Social, Direct, Referral, and others — grouped by their role in your acquisition strategy.
This lens helps you spot which acquisition efforts deliver smooth perceived loading experiences and which ones may be slowing users down before they even engage.
Healthy PLS by acquisition channel sample
Should you worry
A healthy distribution across acquisition channels shows low PLS values regardless of where users come from. Ideally, high-volume and high-intent channels like Paid Search or Organic Search should show fast perceived load speeds to preserve conversion potential.
If any major traffic source shows higher PLS, it may be undermining engagement or making you pay for underperforming visits — especially for channels where you control the landing experience.
Unhealthy PLS by acquisition channel sample
Poor PLS in a particular acquisition channel can signal technical or contextual issues — such as heavy landing pages from ad campaigns, redirect chains from referral traffic, or unoptimized content for mobile users clicking from social platforms.
If returning users from Direct or Organic channels feel the page is slower than expected, it can also impact brand trust and long-term loyalty.
Resolving unhealthy PLS by acquisition channel
Go-to action plan to resolve an unhealthy PLS by acquisition channel:
Ask Uxi to analyze your PLS by acquisition channel and suggest improvements.
Use Filters to drill down into the slow channel and identify shared traits (page, device, network).
Simulate LCP of the suspected lens to see if fixing it will resolve the PLS by acquisition channel. If yes, this is where the resolution focus should be.
Use an automated optimization tool like Navigation AI to improve your PLS by acquisition channel.
Once you’ve improved PLS, set an alert to be the first to know if it starts worsening again.
Try it yourself
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