Optimizing Your Website For Fast Loading Speed: The days of dial-up are long gone. Nowadays, internet speeds have increased dramatically, but this has also meant that web pages can take a lot longer to load. This is because your browser needs to download the page’s HTML code, style sheets, images, and other embedded media before you can see any content.
Despite the foregoing, does your website load slowly? Is it frustrating to see all the progress bars as you wait for your page to load? If so, you’re not alone. With more and more people using slow or unreliable internet connections or viewing your site on mobile devices that have poor internet speeds, optimizing your website for speed is a necessity.
Optimizing Your Website For Fast Loading Speed
Website speed is the total time it takes for a website to load; it can be measured in milliseconds (ms). Websites with high loading times are more likely to lose visitors or cause them to leave without purchasing products or signing up for services. One of the most popular measurement tools for site speed is Pingdom, which allows you to monitor your website’s performance and find out how it stacks up against other sites.
You may have seen or heard people say things like “I can’t believe my website is so fast!” but what does “website speed” actually mean? Website speed usually refers to how quickly a website loads when you visit it. It is measured in milliseconds and can be influenced by several factors, such as the size and quality of the images on the site and how much bandwidth and processing power your device has.
The internet is an essential part of life for all, and we cannot go a day without logging onto our favorite websites. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is still not as tech-savvy as we are. This means that while we can enjoy fast speeds on our computer screens, many other countries don’t have the same luxury.
If your website is running slowly, you’re not alone. A slow-loading website can be frustrating for both small businesses and users.
What is Website Speed Optimization?
Website speed has a significant impact on the decision-making process for a majority of consumers. Speed is one of the most integral components in a website’s performance, ranking it even higher than features and content. If your site loads slowly, people will leave your site and go to a competitor’s site.
A website’s loading time is a major factor for success. Multiple studies have found that 47% of consumers abandon a webpage if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load, and the average person spends less than 15 seconds on a webpage before browsing elsewhere. In order to optimize website speed, there are many tips and tricks you should be aware of.
The first thing to make sure of is that your site runs on a fast server.
What are the benefits of optimizing my website for speed?
Why do some websites load slowly?
As an owner of a website, you want your site to load quickly. Unfortunately, some websites are ridden with problems that make them slower than they need to be. Most of these websites are typically overloaded with coding which slows down the loading time. Additionally, old versions of javascript or flash may also be adding to the problem. Websites can also load slowly if they are not coded correctly for mobile viewing. Most often this is caused by having too much content on one page.
One of the most common reasons for a slow-loading website is when too many plugins or scripts are being used on the site.
If your site is larger than average with an increased number of pages, images, videos, etc., it will take longer to load.
How do I optimize my website for speed?
To help you optimize your site for speed, here are some tips.
Optimizing Images to increase website speed
Most people don’t realize that images are the most important contributor to site speed. The larger the file size of an image, the longer it takes for your page to load. This means anyone with a slow connection will have to wait even longer to see your content. Even with a fast connection, smaller files are quicker because you don’t have to download the whole file before being able to view it.
- Compressing Files to increase website speed
It is possible to compress website files in order to increase the speed of loading. Compressing files means shrinking them so they can be transmitted more quickly. Once they are on your web server, the browser will uncompress the files which will allow for faster loading. The simplest way to optimize your website is by compressing all images you upload to your site using a compression tool like ImageOptim or Imagify.
- Minimizing HTTP Requests to optimize website speed
Website speed is paramount to the success of any business. The faster your site loads, the more likely it is that user satisfaction will increase and conversion rates will rise. Making smart optimizations to your website not only impacts the end-user experience but also has a significant effect on your SEO ranking.
Site speed can be impacted by many factors: server response time, delays in server responses, loading and rendering content.
1)Making Use of Browser Caching
When you visit a website, your browser downloads the site’s files to your computer. These files are stored in the “cache” on your computer. When you visit a web page for the second time, your browser checks its cache for the files it already downloaded. This saves time because the files are already there and don’t have to be downloaded all over again. Browser caching is an important part of how web pages are delivered to you. Make sure to set your browser to “use cache” when you visit a site.
2) Ensure your website is up-to-date, by updating your web server, your web browser, and your website’s code.
Web hosting companies update their servers with security patches to protect against cyber attacks. In order to keep your website as secure as possible, you should also update the software on your computer and web browser. If you’re not sure what these updates are, we recommend consulting a professional.
4) Use a CDN.
A CDN is a content delivery network. These networks work by storing your important files in many places, so your website loads more quickly for people all over the world. The best part about using a CDN is that they are free!
- Choosing the Right Server to optimize website speed
The world has transitioned to the digital age. Now, the majority of people like to do daily tasks online like checking their email or paying bills. However, this transition is impacted by Internet speed. Without a fast enough connection or server, people are forced to wait for screens to load and pages to fully load before they can continue on with what they were doing. This is problematic for people who are in a rush and need quick access to these tasks.
- Eliminating Render Blocking Elements to optimize website speed
As the internet becomes ubiquitous and more and more people turn to their computers and phone screens to access information, websites have taken on a much higher significance in the way we interact with other people and the world around us. It is no surprise that these sites require a certain level of user experience, but there are many ways for website makers to make sure they are delivering the best experience possible. One common problem is render-blocking elements, which can cause significant delays in loading time.
- Remove unnecessary plugins or scripts for website speed optimization
If you are running a website, you may have noticed that the speed is just not what it used to be. You may have even had to take drastic measures by getting onto your site and deleting some of the unnecessary plugins or scripts. Chances are, this was not your first instinct. Typically, people will try to boost things up by getting more plugins, but why not try to clear things out?
Unnecessary plugins or scripts can often lead to slow load times for websites. They may slow down your site, or worse, cause security issues. This is why it is common practice to delete them to make your site load faster.
- Eliminate unnecessary HTTP requests for website speed optimization
It is essential to improve website speed for a better user experience. Users are increasingly frustrated with slow-loading websites. There are many techniques that can be used to optimize site speed, but one of the most important is eliminating unnecessary HTTP requests. A page may have over 100-200 HTTP requests and 70% of those will not impact the user’s browsing experience at all because they serve up content like ads or other ignored elements like tracking scripts. The most common way that requests are made is through malware and anti-virus. Malware may be downloaded from a website while your user is browsing and then it may send all of the requests themselves.
Conclusion
In conclusion, websites that are slower than 300 milliseconds to load in the 19 markets tracked by Google’s search engine may be penalized in search results. Research has found that the average website takes over 3 seconds to load, which is well above the threshold Google considers tolerable for a good user experience. Pages load 2x faster on mobile devices when using compression techniques like minifying or compressing images.
