Having a slow loading website can be detrimental to your business. Customers no longer have the patience or desire to wait for slow loading websites, which leads to decreased sales. According to Unbounce, almost 70% of consumers’ willingness to do business with an online company depends on page speed. If it’s slow, they go — away.
In this article, we’ll discuss why website speed is so important, the impact slow webpages can have on user experience and SEO, and strategies and tools for improving webpage speeds and providing a remarkable user experience so you can increase your sales and grow your business.
Alright, let’s dive into this.
What is Website Load Time?
Website load time is the time it takes for a page to fully display on your computer or mobile device after you’ve clicked the link.
It’s affected by the file size of the page, its code, the speed of your internet connection, and server response time. Slow website load times can be incredibly frustrating. If pages are slow to render, users might get frustrated and leave before completing their goal on your website — which can lead to low conversions. That’s why understanding your website load time is key to making sure visitors don’t click away.
Causes of Slow Website Loading
One of the most common causes of slow website loading is large images that are either uncompressed or high-resolution images that haven’t been optimized for the web.
Why Do You Need to Optimize Image Files?
When you add an image file to your website, the larger the file size, the longer it takes for that file to load in a browser. The result? Poor user experience and poor website performance. Plus, Google takes page speed into account when calculating its search engine rankings; if you have large image files that slow down your site, you could find yourself ranking lower than competitors who have optimized their images.
Let’s explore how you can optimize image files for your website.
How to Optimize Your Image Files
Luckily, there are some easy steps you can take to optimize your image files, so they don’t slow down your site:
Reduce File Size:
One way to reduce file size is by compressing the image file — i.e., reducing its physical dimensions while maintaining its quality and clarity. This process can easily be done with free online tools like TinyPNG or Compressor.io.
Alternatively, you can use an image editing program like Affinity Photo or Photoshop, or GIMP (the GNU Image Manipulation Program) and save the file as a “smaller” version of itself without sacrificing quality or clarity.
Use Appropriate File Types:
Another way to reduce file size is by using appropriate file types; JPEGs are usually best for photographs, GIFs are good for short animations, PNGs work well with complex graphics or illustrations with text or transparent backgrounds, and SVGs are best for flat, vector-based graphics like logos.
Using the right file type can help reduce your page load speed — which is crucial. Not only will this help reduce loading times on web pages that contain these images, but it also enables them to look better on different devices like smartphones and tablets.
Alt Tags/Descriptions:
Adding alt tags (also known as alternative text) and descriptions allow visually impaired users who rely on screen readers to access information about what is contained in each photo on your site; this improves accessibility which makes everyone happy.
Also, search engines use alt tags as part of their algorithms when indexing websites; this helps improve SEO which ultimately increases traffic from organic searches!
Best Tools to Test Website Loading Speed
- Google PageSpeed Insights: provides a score and recommendations for improving website speed. It also includes a mobile-specific test that lets you see how your website performs on different devices.
- GTmetrix: provides a detailed report on website performance, including loading time, page size, and other factors. It also includes a comparison of your website performance with industry standards.
- Pingdom Website Speed Test: offers a performance overview and detailed reports on various metrics, like load time, page size, and requests. It also includes a performance grade and recommendations for improvement.
Here are some other factors that cause slow load times:
- Excessive HTTP Requests – ex: using too many plugins, fonts, or external scripts.
- Bulky Code – ex: not minifying JavaScript and CSS files or not removing unused code.
- Server Performance Issues – ex: using a shared hosting plan with limited resources or not having caching mechanisms in place.
- Poor Hosting Service – ex: using a low-quality hosting provider with slow servers or not having access to a content delivery network (CDN).
Ways to Fix a Slow Loading Website
Minimize HTTP Requests
You can combine external files like CSS and JavaScript to minimize HTTP requests. Another way is to minimize these files by removing unused code, comments, and whitespace. You can also use inline coding for small files by embedding them directly into the HTML file. These techniques help to reduce the number of requests and improve website speed.
Optimize Code
To optimize code, you can remove unused or redundant code from HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. Another way is to use asynchronous loading for scripts by using the “async” or “defer” attributes to help the page load faster. It’s also important to minimize redirects by avoiding unnecessary redirects that can slow down the page and add extra HTTP requests.
Server Performance Optimization
To optimize server performance, you can use caching mechanisms like server-side or browser caching to reduce the number of requests. Another effective technique is to use a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute website content globally, minimizing the distance between the user and server. You can also optimize server settings and configurations like gzip compression, browser caching, or Keep-Alive to improve website speed.
Website Design Optimization
To optimize website design, you can streamline it by removing unnecessary design elements, simplifying navigation, and using white space to make it visually appealing and easier to read. You should limit the use of pop-ups and overlays to avoid slowing down the website and only use them when necessary.
Lazy loading is another effective way to reduce initial page load times by only loading images and other content as the user scrolls down the page.
Additionally, you can limit the use of video and audio files by avoiding auto-play videos or using lower-resolution videos to minimize their impact on page load times. These design optimizations can provide a better user experience and improve your website’s performance.
Reduce the Number of Plugins
To improve website performance, you should minimize the number of plugins by removing unnecessary ones and consolidating multiple plugins into one. This helps to reduce the number of HTTP requests and enhance website speed. By keeping only the essential plugins, you can avoid overloading the website with unnecessary code, which can slow it down. So, take the time to evaluate your plugins and remove the ones you don’t need to help optimize your website.
Upgrade to a Faster Web Hosting Plan
To improve your website’s loading times and overall performance, upgrading to a faster web hosting plan can be very helpful. You can consider moving to a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or a Dedicated Server to get better speed and performance. This upgrade provides more resources to your website, reducing the server load and enhancing the website’s speed. By upgrading to a faster web hosting plan, you can deliver a better user experience and improve website performance.
A web hosting provider we love using at By Timeless is Siteground. They provide reliable and fast hosting plans, website backups, and malware alerts, as well as great customer service. You can sign up for them with our partner link here.
Enable Gzip Compression
To improve website speed, enabling Gzip compression can be very helpful. This compression technique reduces the size of website files, making them smaller and quicker to load. By enabling Gzip compression, you can minimize the load time of your website and provide a better user experience.
Implement HTTP/2 Protocol
Implementing the HTTP/2 protocol can be very helpful in improving your website’s speed too. This involves upgrading to a server that supports HTTP/2, which is faster and more efficient than the previous HTTP/1.1 protocol. Using HTTP/2, you can reduce the load time of your website, improve server response times, and provide a better user experience.
Optimize Database
To speed up your website, optimizing your database is essential. You can do this by removing unnecessary data, optimizing database tables, or using a caching plugin. This will improve database response times and deliver a better user experience as well.
Use a Faster CMS or Framework
If you want your website to perform better, switch to a faster CMS or framework like WordPress or NuxtJs. By doing this, you can optimize your website’s code, simplify the development process, and improve load times. These systems are designed to enhance website speed and performance, which can significantly improve user experience. So, consider using a faster CMS or framework to ensure your website runs smoothly and efficiently.
Importance of Mobile Optimization for Website Speed
Mobile devices have become increasingly popular for web browsing in recent years, with more and more people accessing websites from their smartphones and tablets. However, mobile devices can significantly impact website speed and user experience, as they have smaller screens and limited processing power. Slow mobile websites can negatively affect user engagement and conversions, with about 53% of mobile users abandoning websites that take longer than 3 seconds to load.
To address this issue, website owners need to focus on mobile optimization best practices, like using responsive design, optimizing images and code for mobile devices, and minimizing HTTP requests. Responsive design adjusts the layout of a website to fit the user’s screen size, providing a seamless experience on all devices.
As previously mentioned, optimizing images and code for mobile devices involves compressing files to reduce their size and improve load times. Minimizing HTTP requests can also help reduce load times by reducing the number of requests sent to the server.
Mobile optimization has a significant impact on website speed and user experience, with studies showing that mobile-optimized websites have faster load times, higher engagement rates, and better conversion rates. A 1-second delay in page load time can lead to a 7% reduction in conversions, while a 2-second delay can result in a 38% bounce rate. By following mobile optimization best practices, website owners can ensure their websites are optimized for mobile devices, resulting in faster load times, higher engagement, and more conversions.
How Website Speed Affects SEO and Google Rankings
The importance of website speed in search engine optimization (SEO) cannot be overstated, as it has a direct impact on user experience, which is a critical ranking factor for Google. Search engines penalize slow websites, resulting in lower visibility and fewer clicks. This can lead to a decrease in traffic, lower engagement, and decreased revenue for your business. Website speed optimization is, therefore, a critical aspect of SEO and website development.
Google uses website speed as a ranking factor, as it believes that faster websites provide a better user experience. In April 2010, Google announced that website speed would be a ranking factor in its search algorithm, and it has since become an essential aspect of SEO.
Google’s algorithm assesses website speed based on various factors, including server response time, page load time, and the number of requests made to the server. Websites that load faster are given priority in search results, leading to higher visibility and more clicks, which can lead to higher revenue for their business.
The Bottom Line
The key insight here is that website loading speed is a critical factor that impacts user experience and business success. Slow loading websites lead to higher bounce rates, lower conversions, and lost revenue.
In this article, we’ve outlined the key factors that can cause slow website speeds and provided actionable steps to fix them.
By taking the recommended steps to fix your slow loading website, you can improve your user experience, increase conversions, and boost your revenue.
It’s crucial to keep website speed in mind when designing and developing your website and to prioritize website speed optimization for a successful online presence.
So to fix your slow loading website, follow the tips above!
Looking to speed up your website? Consider working with our team at By Timeless, a web design agency that offers personalized solutions, expert knowledge, and exceptional customer service.
Book a consultation with By Timeless here.
