As site owners understand, the longer we delve into a digitally reliant society, the more a site’s load time can make or break a site—literally. As people become more reliant and demanding upon virtual interaction, if something doesn’t happen fast enough, they’ll ultimately back out and move on to something more readily available to them. For example, if a site doesn’t load within three seconds, nearly 40% of the time, these people will almost instantly back out. Not only does this create poor engagement, but it also negatively influences a site’s conversion rates, as a bulk of people have to back out before the site gives them what it’s trying to offer, anyway.
In order to sell online, you need to know how your customer functions. If there’s a delay, the annoyance occurs and the user essentially has a change of heart—probably heading over to the competition. Therefore, it’s not in your socioeconomic or branding efforts to forgo potential traffic. Increased load times and relative improvements are not merely technological feats, but socioeconomic gains resulting in a better experience.
Why Fast Websites Win: The Business Case
Website speed optimization is more than a technical enhancement; it’s a business enhancement as well. Faster websites enhance brand credibility. A slow, glitchy, poorly navigating, painstakingly loading website leads users to think of the brand as unreliable, something that doesn’t pay attention to detail. Thus, a quick and efficiently running site gives users the impression that this brand is professional, pays attention to UX, and is a reliable brand to come back to.
Moreover, Google factors in site speed when it comes to its ranking standards. A quicker site allows companies the chance to rank higher where they may otherwise be lower ranked with comparable advantages across the board. Thus, site speed is a long-term investment—standards like improved SEO in the future will increase visitor traffic, more long-term possibilities for organic expansion, and revenue with a steadfast fan base.
Simple Solutions for Better Page Speed
No extensive measures are necessary to enhance page speed. Minor changes and decreases in loading times create a better experience. For example, image files—typically the biggest files on a site—can be adjusted by compressing them without a loss in quality. In addition, unnecessary plugins can be removed. While some plugins are required for operation, many are not needed and take up space which inhibits website speed.
Another method for ensuring a site runs at optimal capacity is to “minify” your code. Minification is the process of cutting your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters and elements to decrease file weight and increase loading speed. Also, by using browser caching, once your readers load certain assets, their browsers can retain them so they don’t need to be loaded repeatedly. Little fixes like these can award your site with performance.
Tools to Measure and Improve Site Performance
Before you ever get the chance to optimize site speed, you’ll want to measure where you stand and what might help going forward. For example, Google’s PageSpeed Insights not only provides a speed score but also provides suggestions on how to improve it. Running your site through these types of tools provides you with the challenges to fix and best practices for fixes.
Other alternatives like GTmetrix and WebPageTest give a detailed breakdown of load times, page size, and number of requests. Receiving such detailed information on how your site is performing gives you feedback on what might need correction to function better. These are tools you want to use regularly if you’re hoping to monitor your page performance over time to enhance efficient page loading speed.
The Role of Reliable Hosting in Speed
Another factor that ensures rapid efficiency is quality hosting. If you don’t have quality hosting, then nothing else matters. A quick overview of how to get quality hosting reveals that things like server location, as well as bandwidth and uptime, are essential. For instance, the more proximate the servers are to your end-users, the more quickly you can deliver your content.
So with a reliable host, you’re less likely to experience downtime, and a reputable host can manage traffic spikes so speed doesn’t get compromised. Plus, many hosts offer their own caching and CDN options, which only contributes to speed. So right out of the gate, a reliable, trustworthy host already gives you the foundation to have a faster, better functioning website.
What’s In It for You: A More Engaged Audience and Conversions
From a webmaster’s perspective, there are multiple benefits—from a more engaged audience and increased potential for conversions and search ranking. A faster loading site and a more user-friendly experience means that people will stay on the site longer, peeping at other internal links, engaging with the information in the content gladly, and all of this makes conversions easier. By catering to the user experience and what people anticipate from loading times, you also create a relationship that makes people want to return.
Furthermore, websites that load quickly are more favorably ranked on search engines, which means more organic traffic. That increased visibility converts viewers into potential customers and increases your revenue potential. So when you invest in speed optimization, you’re investing in a site that operates for more than mere visual appeal and professional appearance. It’s money well spent for an online ecosystem that is stable enough to support continued successful ventures in the future.
