TTFB: what it is, how much is good and how to reduce it

By Romulo Felizola · Updated · 3 min read · Leer en español

TTFB (time to first byte) is how long the browser takes to receive the first byte of your page after asking for it. Google considers it good at 0.8 seconds or less, in need of improvement up to 1.8 and poor above that. It is not a Core Web Vitals metric, but it is the first thing spent from your loading time, and it is where your hosting matters most.

In this guide
  1. What value is good
  2. What it is made of
  3. How to measure it with one command
  4. What we measure
  5. How to reduce it
  6. Frequently asked questions

What value is good

TTFBGoogle's rating
0.8 seconds or lessGood
Between 0.8 and 1.8 secondsNeeds improvement
More than 1.8 secondsPoor

web.dev/ttfb, read on November 10, 2026. Google presents it as “a rough guide” and states that TTFB is not a Core Web Vital.

What it is made of

  • Redirects: each hop (http to https, www to non-www) adds time.
  • DNS lookup: finding your server's address.
  • Connection and TLS negotiation: opening the secure connection.
  • The server response: the time it takes to prepare the page. It is the part that depends on your hosting and on how your site is built.

That is why a high TTFB isn't always the server's fault: if your address goes through two redirects before reaching the page, you have already lost time.

How to measure it with one command

curl -o /dev/null -s -w "TTFB: %{time_starttransfer} s\n" https://yourdomain.com/

Run it seven times and keep the median: a single reading is contaminated by whatever is happening at that instant. One caveat: curl from your computer also measures your network and the distance to the server, which is just what a visitor will feel; from the server itself you measure only how long it takes to answer.

What we measure

  • seoclave.com (home)

    How it is built
    Next.js and Django, generated on every visit
    TTFB (median of 7)
    96 ms

  • seoclave.com/precios

    How it is built
    Next.js and Django, generated on every visit
    TTFB (median of 7)
    56 ms

  • jsbrandlab.com/hosting/vps-colombia

    How it is built
    Static (Astro)
    TTFB (median of 7)
    65 ms

  • tramitesve.com

    How it is built
    Static
    TTFB (median of 7)
    26 ms

  • orinocorp.com

    How it is built
    Static (Astro)
    TTFB (median of 7)
    30 ms

Measured with curl from the server itself (Hostinger KVM 2 VPS) on November 9 and 10, 2026. It is the time the server takes, without the network to your visitor.

Static pages answer in about 30-65 ms and those generated on every visit in 56-96 ms. Google also warns of a nuance worth remembering: a server-rendered site can have a higher TTFB and still achieve a good LCP, so the 0.8-second target is weighed against how your site delivers its content.

How to reduce it

  • Remove unnecessary redirects: always link to the final address (with https and the www version you use). Our free redirect checker shows each hop of your address.
  • Serve ready-made pages: a static site or one with page caching computes nothing on each visit.
  • Review what your server does before answering: database queries, heavy plugins.
  • Bring the server closer to your visitors or use a content delivery network, if your provider includes one.
  • Change plan or host if, with all the above done, the time stays over 0.8 seconds.

To see how this fits the whole picture: how hosting affects SEO and page load speed: what is good. If your server is the problem, what a hosting needs for SEO.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good TTFB?

According to Google, 0.8 seconds or less. Between 0.8 and 1.8 seconds needs improvement, and above 1.8 is poor.

Is TTFB a Core Web Vital?

No. Google says so expressly. But it comes before LCP, so a high TTFB makes it worse.

How do you measure TTFB?

With PageSpeed Insights (it calls it “server response time”), with your browser's network panel or with curl. Measure several times and use the median.

Why is my TTFB high?

It may be a slow server, extra redirects, the distance to the server, or a site that computes too much on every visit.

Will faster hosting fix a high TTFB?

Only if the time goes in the server. If the cause is a site that works too hard or redirects, changing host doesn't fix it.

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