What is PLS by server distance
PLS by server distance compares Perceived Load Speed (PLS) across users based on their geographic distance from your website’s hosting server. This helps identify if physical proximity is affecting how quickly your site feels to load.
PLS (Perceived Load Speed) is Uxify’s proprietary metric that reflects how soon a page feels visually ready to your users, not just when the first or largest element loads, but when the full layout is complete and usable.
Longer distances introduce higher network latency and slower resource delivery, especially when CDNs or edge servers aren’t properly configured. For users far from your origin server, this can delay when the full visual experience is rendered.
Healthy PLS by server distance sample
Should you worry
A healthy PLS by server distance distribution shows minimal variation between near and far users. Ideally, all user groups — regardless of proximity — experience fast perceived load speeds within the green zone.
If users located far from your hosting region consistently have higher PLS, it may indicate:
Lack of edge caching or CDN support
Suboptimal server placement relative to target markets
Delays in delivering key visual assets
This is especially critical if you serve international users — a slow first impression can lead to higher bounce rates and missed conversions.
Unhealthy PLS by server distance sample
When users in distant regions (e.g. Asia or South America for a US-hosted site) experience significantly slower PLS, it’s a signal that core assets may be loading from the origin rather than from a nearby edge — or that third-party resources are slowing perceived speed.
Resolving unhealthy PLS by server distance
Go-to action plan to resolve an unhealthy PLS by server distance:
Ask Uxi to analyze your PLS by server distance and suggest improvements.
Use Filters to focus on slower countries or regions and identify which pages or assets are loading poorly there.
Simulate LCP of the suspected lens to see if fixing it will resolve the PLS by server distance. If yes, this is where the resolution focus should be.
Use an automated optimization tool like Navigation AI to improve your PLS by server distance.
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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