Time to First Byte (TTFB)
Time to First Byte (TTFB) measures the time from starting a page navigation until the browser receives the first byte of the response.
What is Time to First Byte?
Time to First Byte (TTFB) measures the time from starting a page navigation until the first byte of the response reaches the browser. It covers redirects, DNS lookup, connection setup and server response time. Because TTFB happens before the browser can render the page, it can delay later loading metrics reported in PageSpeed Insights.
What is a good TTFB?
Google's web.dev guidance recommends 0.8 seconds or less as a rough target for most sites, measured at the 75th percentile. TTFB itself is not one of the Core Web Vitals, so treat the threshold as diagnostic guidance rather than a standalone SEO target.
Why does TTFB matter?
A slow initial response pushes back everything that depends on the HTML arriving. This can contribute to slower Largest Contentful Paint and make commercially important landing pages feel slow before their main content appears.
For B2B websites, the cause may sit outside the page design itself: redirects, hosting location, backend processing, cache misses or network latency can all contribute. That is why a Google Lighthouse audit should be interpreted alongside network and server diagnostics.
How do you improve TTFB?
First identify where the delay occurs. Reduce unnecessary redirects, use caching effectively, choose infrastructure close to users and investigate slow backend work such as database queries or server-side rendering. On a Webflow website, also check redirects and external infrastructure rather than assuming every performance issue comes from front-end code.
TTFB should be evaluated alongside client-side metrics. A fast server response does not compensate for heavy JavaScript that creates high Total Blocking Time, and the reverse is also true.
What should B2B marketers do?
Monitor TTFB on high-value pages and investigate persistent regressions as part of technical SEO and website performance. Prioritize changes that improve real buyer journeys rather than chasing one isolated metric across every URL.
Key takeaway
TTFB tells you how quickly the browser starts receiving a response. Use it as an early diagnostic signal within a broader B2B marketing website performance process.
