How Page Speed Affects Your Website Performance

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With the introduction of the internet and lightspeed indexing, the user experience (UX) has evolved rapidly. Some people may remember a period where a webpage took several seconds to load. Nearly 70% of consumers report page speed to be a factor in their willingness to purchase from a retailer.

A user wishes to load your website before their 110th birthday or sooner. Page speed is a vital factor in your web performance. Clients are starving for swift, deliberate information at their fingertips. A sluggish page speed can determine whether your website is engaging enough for its ranking.

Google accounts page speed in its ranking for pages. Optimizing your page speed is a golden strategy to stay afloat in these competitive markets. Users are constantly in search of better results and Google’s objective is to meet that demand.

What Is Page Speed?

Page speed can be described as the time it takes for a page to load its content. In fact, the first five seconds of your page load-time directly impact your conversion rate. Reports have suggested that users expect a page to load no more than 2 seconds.

Your mobile site load time can influence these factors as well. The average mobile site load speed is 15.3 seconds to load. Conversion rates could be impacted as a result of the slower page speed.

You can discover your page speed through a variety of sites. Google offers a free service through Page Insights. Page Insights ranks your speeds through color-coded displays to classify your strengths and weaknesses. This presents a great opportunity to determine where you can move forward. Pingdom is another option to measure your site’s page speed.

Your page speed could be impacted by:

  • Page type
  • User behavior
  • File sizes
  • Website server/host
  • Inefficient code
  • Hotlinking
  • Abundant plugins or widgets

What Are Key Page Speed Strategies?

If you’ve evaluated your page, you must have come across some solutions to bring the traffic back in your palms. Here are a few options to take when considering an optimization strategy for your website.

Optimize Your Files

Optimizing your files on your website should be the first stage of improving your page speed. Large files can be exhausting on the servers by loading dense files. Images can be optimized through Adobe settings (i.e. for web) as a means to curb the data loading. By compressing text and images, 25% of pages could save more than 250KB and 10% can save more than 1MB, according to Google. Talk about a haircut, am I right?

There are tools that can be used to optimize your images. PNG and JPEG files are the easiest to compress. Make sure when you compress files to preserve the image quality.

If you have higher quality images, it’s recommended to compress them by 60-80%. A general rule of thumb is that the image should not be larger than 1MB. You can always size down, but sizing up can cause pixelation issues.

Use Redirects More Carefully

Redirects are an effective way to network different pages and bring users to fresh content. Redirects have the dual effect of slowing down page speed. Website speed is measured in milliseconds. A redirect can add 500ms to 3s to your page speed. Reducing the number of redirects will require you to place them in the most strategic places.

Evaluate Your Code

Plugins and Javascript can impact page speed. In contrast, there are plugins used to improve the speed.  Unnecessary code, commas, and text play a role in page speed. You’ll have to determine which ones are affecting the page the most.

You have the option to minify your site’s code by streamlining the amount of code the server has to read.

Here are some tools you can use:

  • YUI Compressor for Yahoo!
  • Google Closure Compiler for Javascript
  • Microsoft Ajax Minifier for CSS
  • HTMLMinifier for HTML

Caching

You might have heard the advice to clear your cache to improve performance. When a site caches, the server records the copies of its pages to prevent a complete reboot of loading the site. Caching can help improve the response time.

Add A Trailing Slash

When it comes to URLs, a trailing slash is a minor improvement on the page speed of your website. This tactic will allow Google to recognize your URL as the final destination for your page, instead of a directory. The improvement can save you a fraction of time, but ultimately another step towards a sharp page. For example, you could change www.domaingate.net/domain to www.domaingate.net/domain/.

Consider A CDN

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) can be described as a network of servers hosting your site locally to enhance your page speed load times. By spreading your content across multiple servers, it reduces the number of requests to the original server. A multi-CDN strategy can help expand the reach of your pages, however, outages should be noted.

Conversion Rates And Page Speed

Conversion rates can be divided into two categories. Research has indicated that more than 40% of users who have had a negative experience with your site will tell their friends and family.  Additionally, 40% will abandon a page if the load time exceeds three seconds. A couple of milliseconds of shaved off-page speed can help improve your conversion rate.

The user interface is a compelling strategy to draw your users into the experience of your page. It’s best to design with a clear purpose and make it responsive between mobile sites. Users are determined to find the most convenient option in front of them. For example, Amazon’s success can be attributed to a fast load time, single-day shipping, and one-click purchases. A sluggish site could drive traffic to its competitors.

Macro Conversions

Macro conversions can be described as visitor actions that relate directly to revenue. Common methods include filling out contact forms, requesting quotes, and registering for free trials. Macro conversions curate high interest because they require payment information or requests for appointments.

Micro Conversions

Micro conversions can be considered the steps taken before a macro conversion. Social media follows, free ebook downloads, and case studies can be considered micro conversions. In terms of commitment, there isn’t much for the user to attach to consider how little is asked.

Final Takeaway

Your webpage may have all the bells and whistles, but when it comes to optimization, there are a handful of tactics you can use. It goes to show that minor changes can influence the psychology of how your users interact with your content.

After covering the consequences of the page speed, it’s vital to recognize its value in your ranking. With growth faster than we can imagine, the world web is determined to provide users with the best experience to pilot the next wave of improvements.

References:

https://neilpatel.com/blog/speed-is-a-killer/

https://www.mlytics.com/blog/why-your-website-speed-and-performance-are-costing-you-business/

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/page-load-time-conversion-rates

How Page Speed Affects Your Website Performance

Oct 22, 2021

digital marketing

With the introduction of the internet and lightspeed indexing, the user experience (UX) has evolved rapidly. Some people may remember a period where a webpage took several seconds to load. Nearly 70% of consumers report page speed to be a factor in their willingness to purchase from a retailer.

A user wishes to load your website before their 110th birthday or sooner. Page speed is a vital factor in your web performance. Clients are starving for swift, deliberate information at their fingertips. A sluggish page speed can determine whether your website is engaging enough for its ranking.

Google accounts page speed in its ranking for pages. Optimizing your page speed is a golden strategy to stay afloat in these competitive markets. Users are constantly in search of better results and Google’s objective is to meet that demand.

What Is Page Speed?

Page speed can be described as the time it takes for a page to load its content. In fact, the first five seconds of your page load-time directly impact your conversion rate. Reports have suggested that users expect a page to load no more than 2 seconds.

Your mobile site load time can influence these factors as well. The average mobile site load speed is 15.3 seconds to load. Conversion rates could be impacted as a result of the slower page speed.

You can discover your page speed through a variety of sites. Google offers a free service through Page Insights. Page Insights ranks your speeds through color-coded displays to classify your strengths and weaknesses. This presents a great opportunity to determine where you can move forward. Pingdom is another option to measure your site's page speed.

Your page speed could be impacted by:

  • Page type
  • User behavior
  • File sizes
  • Website server/host
  • Inefficient code
  • Hotlinking
  • Abundant plugins or widgets

What Are Key Page Speed Strategies?

If you’ve evaluated your page, you must have come across some solutions to bring the traffic back in your palms. Here are a few options to take when considering an optimization strategy for your website.

Optimize Your Files

Optimizing your files on your website should be the first stage of improving your page speed. Large files can be exhausting on the servers by loading dense files. Images can be optimized through Adobe settings (i.e. for web) as a means to curb the data loading. By compressing text and images, 25% of pages could save more than 250KB and 10% can save more than 1MB, according to Google. Talk about a haircut, am I right?

There are tools that can be used to optimize your images. PNG and JPEG files are the easiest to compress. Make sure when you compress files to preserve the image quality.

If you have higher quality images, it’s recommended to compress them by 60-80%. A general rule of thumb is that the image should not be larger than 1MB. You can always size down, but sizing up can cause pixelation issues.

Use Redirects More Carefully

Redirects are an effective way to network different pages and bring users to fresh content. Redirects have the dual effect of slowing down page speed. Website speed is measured in milliseconds. A redirect can add 500ms to 3s to your page speed. Reducing the number of redirects will require you to place them in the most strategic places.

Evaluate Your Code

Plugins and Javascript can impact page speed. In contrast, there are plugins used to improve the speed.  Unnecessary code, commas, and text play a role in page speed. You’ll have to determine which ones are affecting the page the most.

You have the option to minify your site’s code by streamlining the amount of code the server has to read.

Here are some tools you can use:

  • YUI Compressor for Yahoo!
  • Google Closure Compiler for Javascript
  • Microsoft Ajax Minifier for CSS
  • HTMLMinifier for HTML

Caching

You might have heard the advice to clear your cache to improve performance. When a site caches, the server records the copies of its pages to prevent a complete reboot of loading the site. Caching can help improve the response time.

Add A Trailing Slash

When it comes to URLs, a trailing slash is a minor improvement on the page speed of your website. This tactic will allow Google to recognize your URL as the final destination for your page, instead of a directory. The improvement can save you a fraction of time, but ultimately another step towards a sharp page. For example, you could change www.domaingate.net/domain to www.domaingate.net/domain/.

Consider A CDN

A CDN (Content Delivery Network) can be described as a network of servers hosting your site locally to enhance your page speed load times. By spreading your content across multiple servers, it reduces the number of requests to the original server. A multi-CDN strategy can help expand the reach of your pages, however, outages should be noted.

Conversion Rates And Page Speed

Conversion rates can be divided into two categories. Research has indicated that more than 40% of users who have had a negative experience with your site will tell their friends and family.  Additionally, 40% will abandon a page if the load time exceeds three seconds. A couple of milliseconds of shaved off-page speed can help improve your conversion rate.

The user interface is a compelling strategy to draw your users into the experience of your page. It’s best to design with a clear purpose and make it responsive between mobile sites. Users are determined to find the most convenient option in front of them. For example, Amazon’s success can be attributed to a fast load time, single-day shipping, and one-click purchases. A sluggish site could drive traffic to its competitors.

Macro Conversions

Macro conversions can be described as visitor actions that relate directly to revenue. Common methods include filling out contact forms, requesting quotes, and registering for free trials. Macro conversions curate high interest because they require payment information or requests for appointments.

Micro Conversions

Micro conversions can be considered the steps taken before a macro conversion. Social media follows, free ebook downloads, and case studies can be considered micro conversions. In terms of commitment, there isn’t much for the user to attach to consider how little is asked.

Final Takeaway

Your webpage may have all the bells and whistles, but when it comes to optimization, there are a handful of tactics you can use. It goes to show that minor changes can influence the psychology of how your users interact with your content.

After covering the consequences of the page speed, it’s vital to recognize its value in your ranking. With growth faster than we can imagine, the world web is determined to provide users with the best experience to pilot the next wave of improvements.

References:

https://neilpatel.com/blog/speed-is-a-killer/

https://www.mlytics.com/blog/why-your-website-speed-and-performance-are-costing-you-business/

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/page-load-time-conversion-rates

Brian Morales

Written By: Brian Morales

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