Ever since Google made site speed a ranking signal in their algorithm, having a slow-loading site hinders your ability to bring in traffic. Regardless of where a search is performed (desktop, table, phone) search engines now limit your exposure to searchers if your pages are slow to load. Especially for searchers on slow connections!
Today’s searchers are impatient. If they can get the information they need somewhere else, visitors will spend an extra ten seconds to find it than wait the three seconds it takes for your page to load.
That means you want your site to be fast. Lightning fast.
Three Ways To Speed Up Your Website
- Compression Images: With HD resolution screens becoming increasingly common, it’s important for you to use high-quality images on your site. Yet these large images can take up a whole lot of bandwidth. The good news is you can reduce the file size of your images while maintaining the image’s quality. Start with saving the images in the format best suited for that particular image (jpg, gif, bmp). Second, run it through an image compressor to get the file size down even further.
- Streamline Your Code: Technology makes major advances every year. Today we have the ability to create more features using less code than just a few years ago. And the web will likely continue to advance at a rapid pace. It’s understandable that you can’t afford to re-develop your site every year, however a three-year-old site is using ancient technology. Which also means that you’re likely using bloated code that slows it down.
- Use Fast Servers: Your web host provider also plays a critical role in site download speeds. Sharing server space will often slow your site down, so consider getting a dedicated server instead. This is especially critical for businesses with a lot of traffic. Talk to your web host about what you can do to speed up your site for a minimal cost.
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