Original Research
We tested 113 Houston dental websites.
74% fail Google's speed test.
Between February 12 to March 3, 2026, we ran every dental practice website in Houston through Google's PageSpeed Insights API on a simulated mobile connection. The public asset below includes the benchmark charts, aggregate CSV, methodology, caveats, and local practice implications.
By Borhen Benltaief, SEOParity. Published March 2026, updated May 2026.
113
Dental sites tested
74%
Fail Core Web Vitals on mobile
38/100
Average mobile PageSpeed score
4.7s
Average mobile load time
87/113
Run WordPress
41/87
WordPress sites use Elementor
Benchmark charts
The public charts use aggregate counts. Practice names and domains are excluded from the downloadable file so the benchmark can be cited without turning into a public shame list.
Core Web Vitals status
Pass/fail is based on Google's mobile Core Web Vitals thresholds in the PageSpeed output captured during the test window.
Platform signals
Platform detection used response headers and public HTML signatures. It is a technical signal, not a vendor blame score.
Benchmark asset
Download the aggregate benchmark data
The CSV is built for citation and outreach. It includes the sample size, score distribution, Core Web Vitals outcome, platform signals, and methodology notes without exposing individual practice URLs.
houston-dental-speed-2026-benchmark.csv
Aggregate CSV. No individual practice names, emails, or private data.
Download CSV| Benchmark | Value | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Sites tested | 113 | Houston dental practice homepages returning HTTP 200. |
| Mobile CWV fail rate | 74% | Failed one or more mobile Core Web Vitals checks in PageSpeed Insights. |
| Average mobile PageSpeed score | 38/100 | Lighthouse performance score, mobile emulation. |
| Average mobile load time | 4.7s | Observed lab load-time benchmark across the sampled homepages. |
| Fastest observed score | 91/100 | Top mobile PageSpeed score in the sample. |
| Slowest observed score | 8/100 | Lowest mobile PageSpeed score in the sample. |
Methodology
We collected the website URL for every dental practice in Houston, Texas listed in Google Maps and major dental directories. 113 sites had a working homepage that returned a 200 status code.
Each site was tested using the Google PageSpeed Insights API (version 5) with mobile emulation and Lighthouse lab settings. This is not a substitute for Chrome UX Report field data, but it gives every site the same repeatable mobile test.
We recorded the overall Performance score (0 to 100), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and pass/fail status for all three Core Web Vitals. Testing was conducted between February 12 to March 3, 2026.
All data comes from Google's own publicly available tools. No private or proprietary measurement was used. Platform detection (WordPress, Elementor, Squarespace, Wix) was based on response headers and HTML source signatures.
The public CSV is aggregate and de-identified. It includes score bands, pass/fail counts, and platform signals, but not practice names or domains. Row-level evidence is retained internally so outreach can be personalized without publishing a public blame list.
Score distribution
Mobile PageSpeed scores across 113 sites. Google considers 90+ "good."
What we found wrong
Page builders loading before content
41 out of 87 WordPress dental sites load Elementor, a visual page builder that ships a 400KB+ JavaScript rendering engine. The browser downloads, parses, and executes this code before a patient sees anything on the page. On a typical mobile connection, that means 3 to 5 seconds of blank screen. Most visitors leave after 3.
Uncompressed images
Hero images on dental sites averaged 1.2MB. Many load full-resolution office photos and staff portraits without any compression, responsive sizing, or modern formats like WebP. One site loaded a 6.8MB background image on its homepage. On mobile, that image alone takes 12 seconds to download.
Too many plugins running at once
The average WordPress dental site had 14 active plugins. Each plugin can inject its own CSS and JavaScript files into every page load, whether or not that page needs them. The result is render-blocking resources that caching can't fix.
No server-side rendering
WordPress generates HTML on the server for each request, but the JavaScript-heavy front ends built by most page builders negate this advantage. The browser still waits for the full JS bundle to hydrate before anything becomes interactive. Sites built on modern frameworks can score higher when they ship less client-side JavaScript and fewer render-blocking assets.
What this means for practice owners
Google has treated page experience, including Core Web Vitals, as one search signal among many. Passing does not guarantee rankings, but failing creates a visible user-experience handicap. In a local market like Houston dental, where patients compare 3 to 4 practices before calling, the site that loads first is easier to evaluate.
The 74% failure rate means most Houston dental practices are competing with a handicap they don't know about. Their marketing team buys Google Ads to drive traffic to a site that takes 4.7 seconds to load. Patients tap the back button before the phone number appears.
The practices with fast sites aren't doing anything exotic. They either built on a modern platform from the start, or they rebuilt their WordPress site on one. The technology exists. The data says most practices haven't made the switch yet.
Caveats
- This is an aggregate benchmark, not a ranking of individual practices. The public CSV intentionally excludes practice names and URLs.
- PageSpeed Insights lab data can vary by run. The useful signal is the market pattern, not whether one practice scored a few points higher on one day.
- Platform detection is based on public HTML and response signatures. A site can hide or proxy some technology signals.
- Core Web Vitals influence page experience, but rankings also depend on content, links, proximity, reputation, and local pack factors.
Outreach angles
- Houston business and dental publications: Most local dental websites create a mobile handicap before the patient even sees the phone number.
- Dental marketing agencies: Speed work should be part of retention and conversion reporting, not an afterthought after ad spend increases.
- SEO and web performance podcasts: A local vertical benchmark makes Core Web Vitals easier to explain than generic Lighthouse advice.
- Quote platforms: The story is not that WordPress is slow. It is that page-builder and image decisions show up as local acquisition risk.
- AI/search citations: The aggregate CSV gives answer engines a clean source for Houston dental speed and WordPress performance claims.