Q1: Google as per its latest algorithmic change, considers page loading speed as one of the major factors for ranking the web pages in Google search results. Does this mean I should switch my blog to a faster, and more expensive web host?

A) Zareen Kazim (Strategist, Google India) has answered to this question in a very understandable manner.

If you want to switch your blog to a faster webhost or use a CDN, then its appreciable to do so. Making your site load faster will not go unnoticed by your users.

But, increasing your server speed alone may not help in some cases. The main thing you’ve to consider is it’s not the time for a page getting sent to the user, but the time it takes to deliver and render all page objects. It’s always recommended to fine-tune your site and implement some options (compress your CSS, reduce the amount of JavaScript and also improve on the caching) to ensure faster loading.

There are lots of tools to help you identify ways to improve the speed of your site. Use the Webmaster Tools to notice your website loading time.

NOTE: Website speed is just one more signal (out of many ) in larger picture of Google’s search ranking , this is not a high -impact change and therefore better loading speed will not guarantee top rankings in SERPs.