In today's world everyone needs a website and everyone also needs a good-looking website. Looks do matter and it is necessary to make an attractive web design. But, the more the resources and elements used in making websites flashy and eye-catchy, the more the space used, which in turn reduces the website loading speed. An eye-catchy website will only have an impact on the user if it also loads faster.
It has been surveyed that:
· 47% of people expect a web page to load in less than 2 seconds.
· 40% of users will discard a web page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
· 52% of online shoppers need quick and uninterrupted page loading to shop.
But the average website takes approximately 7 to 8 seconds to load.
Another survey says that a 1-second delay in page loading produces:
· 11% fewer page views
· 16% decrease in customer satisfaction
· 7% loss in conversions
Therefore, speeding up your website is important not only to rank well in search engines but, also to have good profits. Here are a few tips that will help you cut off seconds in your website loading time.
1. Minimize HTTP Requests
HTTP is a request-response protocol between clients and servers. 80% of a website’s loading time is spent downloading the different elements of the page like images, scripts, animation, audio, etc. An HTTP request is made for each one of these elements. So, the more the on-page components, the longer it takes for the page to load. Reducing the number of components on a page reduces the number of HTTP requests and in turn improves the site’s performance.
2. Enable compression
High quality content results in large pages that are bulky and slow to download. Compress this high quality content before uploading it on the page. Compression reduces the bandwidth of the pages using a tool called Gzip. This can reduce download time by about 70%.
3. Enable browser caching
When a user visits a website for the first time, the elements on the page are stored on the device’s hard drive in a temporary storage known as cache. So, the next time the user visits the site, the browser can load the page quicker by utilizing the stored elements.
The first time someone visits a website, they have to download the HTML document, stylesheets, javascript files and images before being able to use the page. Let us assume it as downloading 30 components in 3 seconds. Once the page has been loaded and the different components stored in the user’s cache, only a few components need to be downloaded for subsequent visits. This will now reduce to 3 components in 1 second.
Static resources should have a cache lifetime of at least a week. Ads and widgets should have a cache lifetime of at least a day. The highest cache lifetime as per the RFC guidelines should not exceed one year.
4. Minify Resources
Eliminate extra spaces, line breaks, and nicks in your code to make lean pages that take lesser time to load.
5. Optimize images
Images comprise the biggest amount of a website. Three things need to be focused upon where images are concerned: size, format and code.
Image size
Oversized images take longer to load, so it’s important to keep images as small as possible. Cropping the images, reducing the color palette as much as possible and removing image comments are advised.
Image format
JPEG is the best option.
GIFs should only be used for small simple graphics and animated images.
PNG is a good option but, it is not always supported in every browser.
BMPs or TIFFs should never be used.
Image code
Make sure that the code is appropriate. Avoid empty image codes and always include the src attribute with a valid URL.
6. Optimize CSS Delivery
CSS is a style sheet language used for describing the look and format of a document written in a markup language. This information is accessed either in an external file, which loads before the page loads or inline which is inserted in the HTML document itself. An external style sheet is preferable because it reduces the size of the code. Hence, try to use only one external style sheet.
7. Prioritize the top of the page
Users are satisfied even if the top of the page starts loading, rather than having a blank page in front of them. Create a website that loads the top of the page faster, even if the rest of the page takes a few seconds to load. Split the style sheet into two parts: an inline part that comprises the top of the page and an external part that comprises of the rest of the page.
8. Reduce the number of plug-ins
Too many plug-ins reduce the site speed. Deactivate and delete any unnecessary plug-ins. Identify the plug-ins that cause the speed to considerably reduce by selective disabling of plug-ins.
9. Reduce redirects
Redirects create additional HTTP requests and increase loading time. So, keep them to the minimum. If it is very necessary to use redirects, use it in such a way that the URLs already in the page do not redirect to other URLs. For example, if C is the target page, and there are two different start points, A and B. Then, both A and B should redirect directly to C; A should never redirect intermediately to B.
While making a beautiful eye-catchy website, also keep in mind the above mentioned points to make a quick loading website so that it is appreciated by users.
SUMMARY
A website’s value not only depends on its beautiful design and high quality content but, also on how long the page takes to load. While creating a website, it is essential that the elements of your page are constructed in such a way that the users do not have to wait too long.
Jain Technosoft is a Bangalore based Website Design company that has been consistently delivering quality services with the use of effective practices and a highly talented team. We, at Jain Technosoft, offer a range of expertise to help our customers re-invent and re-engineer their businesses to compete successfully in an ever-changing marketplace.
It has been surveyed that:
· 47% of people expect a web page to load in less than 2 seconds.
· 40% of users will discard a web page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
· 52% of online shoppers need quick and uninterrupted page loading to shop.
But the average website takes approximately 7 to 8 seconds to load.
Another survey says that a 1-second delay in page loading produces:
· 11% fewer page views
· 16% decrease in customer satisfaction
· 7% loss in conversions
Therefore, speeding up your website is important not only to rank well in search engines but, also to have good profits. Here are a few tips that will help you cut off seconds in your website loading time.
1. Minimize HTTP Requests
HTTP is a request-response protocol between clients and servers. 80% of a website’s loading time is spent downloading the different elements of the page like images, scripts, animation, audio, etc. An HTTP request is made for each one of these elements. So, the more the on-page components, the longer it takes for the page to load. Reducing the number of components on a page reduces the number of HTTP requests and in turn improves the site’s performance.
2. Enable compression
High quality content results in large pages that are bulky and slow to download. Compress this high quality content before uploading it on the page. Compression reduces the bandwidth of the pages using a tool called Gzip. This can reduce download time by about 70%.
3. Enable browser caching
When a user visits a website for the first time, the elements on the page are stored on the device’s hard drive in a temporary storage known as cache. So, the next time the user visits the site, the browser can load the page quicker by utilizing the stored elements.
The first time someone visits a website, they have to download the HTML document, stylesheets, javascript files and images before being able to use the page. Let us assume it as downloading 30 components in 3 seconds. Once the page has been loaded and the different components stored in the user’s cache, only a few components need to be downloaded for subsequent visits. This will now reduce to 3 components in 1 second.
Static resources should have a cache lifetime of at least a week. Ads and widgets should have a cache lifetime of at least a day. The highest cache lifetime as per the RFC guidelines should not exceed one year.
4. Minify Resources
Eliminate extra spaces, line breaks, and nicks in your code to make lean pages that take lesser time to load.
5. Optimize images
Images comprise the biggest amount of a website. Three things need to be focused upon where images are concerned: size, format and code.
Image size
Oversized images take longer to load, so it’s important to keep images as small as possible. Cropping the images, reducing the color palette as much as possible and removing image comments are advised.
Image format
JPEG is the best option.
GIFs should only be used for small simple graphics and animated images.
PNG is a good option but, it is not always supported in every browser.
BMPs or TIFFs should never be used.
Image code
Make sure that the code is appropriate. Avoid empty image codes and always include the src attribute with a valid URL.
6. Optimize CSS Delivery
CSS is a style sheet language used for describing the look and format of a document written in a markup language. This information is accessed either in an external file, which loads before the page loads or inline which is inserted in the HTML document itself. An external style sheet is preferable because it reduces the size of the code. Hence, try to use only one external style sheet.
7. Prioritize the top of the page
Users are satisfied even if the top of the page starts loading, rather than having a blank page in front of them. Create a website that loads the top of the page faster, even if the rest of the page takes a few seconds to load. Split the style sheet into two parts: an inline part that comprises the top of the page and an external part that comprises of the rest of the page.
8. Reduce the number of plug-ins
Too many plug-ins reduce the site speed. Deactivate and delete any unnecessary plug-ins. Identify the plug-ins that cause the speed to considerably reduce by selective disabling of plug-ins.
9. Reduce redirects
Redirects create additional HTTP requests and increase loading time. So, keep them to the minimum. If it is very necessary to use redirects, use it in such a way that the URLs already in the page do not redirect to other URLs. For example, if C is the target page, and there are two different start points, A and B. Then, both A and B should redirect directly to C; A should never redirect intermediately to B.
While making a beautiful eye-catchy website, also keep in mind the above mentioned points to make a quick loading website so that it is appreciated by users.
SUMMARY
A website’s value not only depends on its beautiful design and high quality content but, also on how long the page takes to load. While creating a website, it is essential that the elements of your page are constructed in such a way that the users do not have to wait too long.
Jain Technosoft is a Bangalore based Website Design company that has been consistently delivering quality services with the use of effective practices and a highly talented team. We, at Jain Technosoft, offer a range of expertise to help our customers re-invent and re-engineer their businesses to compete successfully in an ever-changing marketplace.