{"id":129,"date":"2026-11-07T13:50:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benchnode.net\/methodology\/"},"modified":"2026-11-07T17:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T16:08:45","slug":"methodology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/benchnode.net\/en\/methodology\/","title":{"rendered":"Methodology"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"129\" class=\"elementor elementor-129 elementor-15\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1e9333 e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c1e9333\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-82a9ed1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"82a9ed1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Methodology<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-972b699 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"972b699\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How we measure<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-58a796f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"58a796f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Every number on Benchnode comes from our own lab. This page explains how we measure, so you can put the results into context and check them yourself.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f088149 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"f088149\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<aside class=\"bn-hinweis\" role=\"note\"><strong>In short<\/strong><p>Fresh install, one setting at a time, five runs each on mobile and desktop, and we publish the median. Measured on shared hosting in Germany.<\/p><\/aside>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aeb5635 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"aeb5635\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The lab<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8035cba elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8035cba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our lab is a separate WordPress install on shared hosting at All-Inkl in Germany. That&#8217;s the kind of hosting many of our readers use, and the same kind this blog runs on. The lab is locked from the outside and not indexed by search engines.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-94c43e6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"94c43e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The reference page<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8359981 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8359981\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Every test runs on the same page: a typical Elementor home page with a large hero image, testimonial slider, gallery, FAQ, contact form and popup, plus a typical blog post. That way we see how a plugin affects a real page, not an empty one.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6773695 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6773695\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The process<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c1915b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9c1915b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ol><li>The lab is reset to a saved base state. Database and files are exactly as before, and leftovers from earlier tests are gone.<\/li><li>We measure the baseline.<\/li><li>We install the plugin and turn settings on one by one. After every step we measure and check that menu, slider, popup and form still work.<\/li><li>At the end the lab is reset again.<\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-876ffbd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"876ffbd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How we measure<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae8b451 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ae8b451\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We measure with Lighthouse, Google&#8217;s measuring tool that also powers PageSpeed Insights. Once with a throttled mobile connection, once on desktop. Each measurement is five runs, and we publish the median. Before the runs we load the page once so caches are filled. Tool, version, date and time are listed with every result.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b670ac5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b670ac5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Connections to the outside<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad5c066 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ad5c066\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our own plugin <a href=\"https:\/\/benchnode.net\/en\/connection-monitor\/\">Connection Monitor<\/a> always runs in the lab. It records which plugins talk to outside servers and what they send. So for every test we can also tell you where data goes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cfd061d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cfd061d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The metrics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6549484 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6549484\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><strong>TTFB<\/strong>: time until the server sends its first response.<\/li><li><strong>LCP<\/strong>: time until the largest visible element has loaded, usually the hero image.<\/li><li><strong>CLS<\/strong>: how much the layout jumps while loading. LCP and CLS are part of the Core Web Vitals Google uses to rate user experience.<\/li><li><strong>TBT<\/strong>: how long scripts block the page. In the lab it&#8217;s the best indicator of how fast the page reacts to clicks (INP).<\/li><li><strong>Page weight and requests<\/strong>: how much has to be loaded.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d90974a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d90974a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Limits<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf93cc9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cf93cc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The lab and the blog share a server with other customers of the host, so individual runs vary. The median of several runs evens that out, but not completely. Our numbers compare well within one test. Compared with measurements of other sites or tools, they are only partly comparable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-79680a1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"79680a1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Independence<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-87124bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"87124bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We are funded through affiliate links. That never affects a measurement or a recommendation, and we don&#8217;t sell placements. More in our <a href=\"https:\/\/benchnode.net\/en\/affiliate-disclosure\/\">affiliate disclosure<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-129","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Methodology - Benchnode<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How Benchnode measures: fresh WordPress install, one setting at a time, five runs on mobile and desktop. 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