Nobody likes waiting for a website to load. When a page takes too long, most visitors won’t hang around. They’ll hit the back button and click on the next result, which is often one of your competitors.
A slow website doesn’t just frustrate your visitors. It can also hurt your Google rankings, since page speed is one of the things Google considers when deciding which websites to show in search results. Put simply, a slow site means fewer visitors, fewer enquiries and fewer sales.
The good news is that there are some simple ways to speed up your website. Here are three tips for faster load times.
1. Reduce the File Size of Images and Graphics
One of the easiest and most effective ways to speed up your website is to reduce the size of the files within it. This is most often done with large graphics and photos, which can take an extra few seconds to load and render fully. As a rule of thumb, graphics that are completely computer-generated (such as logos and icons) work better as .png or .svg files, while photos taken with a camera work better as .jpg files. Modern formats such as WebP can reduce file sizes even further without any noticeable loss in quality. You can find online tools to reduce file sizes for you, but it’s best to ask your web designer to do this based on the specific needs of your website. With your images and graphics optimised in this way, you should notice your website getting faster, as every picture loads as efficiently as possible.
2. Ensure that Your Website Is on the Correct Server
Three of the most common types of website hosting are shared, dedicated and cloud. Do you know which one your website is on? Do you know which one your website needs? Shared hosting means your website sits on the same server as other websites. Because that server has to handle multiple websites at once, it can result in slower load times, especially when the other sites get busy. A dedicated server means your website has a server all to itself and isn’t affected by other websites when it comes to load times. Cloud hosting spreads your website across a network of connected servers, so it can draw on extra resources when it needs them and cope well with sudden spikes in traffic. Talk to your web designer about which option suits your website best. Once it’s in place, your website’s speed should match its needs.
3. Use Compression and Clean Up Your Website
Much like reducing image sizes, compression shrinks the files that make up your website, such as its code and stylesheets, so they can be sent to your visitors’ browsers more quickly. Techniques such as GZIP compression and minification strip out unnecessary characters and data without affecting how your website looks or works. This means only the essential elements of your website need to load, and they aren’t dragged down by unnecessary bulk. Alongside compression, you should also give your website a manual clean-up. Make sure any plugins are updated to their latest versions so they run smoothly, and remove any plugins you’re no longer using. Website pages and features that are no longer needed should also be removed, as this gives your website less to load and helps keep it running at its best.
Give Your Website a Speed Boost
A fast website keeps visitors happy, helps your Google rankings and gives you a better chance of turning visitors into customers. Optimising your images, choosing the right hosting and keeping your website compressed and clutter-free can make a real difference to how quickly your pages load.
Not sure how fast your website is? You can check for free by entering your web address into Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, which will give you a score and highlight areas for improvement.
If your website is running slowly, get in touch with Whelan Web Design. We help businesses across Waterford and the South East build fast, reliable websites that their customers love to use.
