A slow page loading speed swiftly allows incoming web traffic to be deviated. As the world is inclining towards the high speed gradient, it is highly unlikely that any individual would patiently wait for a web page to load over a certain expected time. Even in the context of digital marketing, speed is a killer. Decreasing your page load time significantly increases conversion rate. Loading time directly affects the page abandonment chances.
When it comes to internet works, every second counts. Sources report that a mere 1 second delay in page load causes significant changes. Conversions, sales and revenue increase drastically with even smallest increments in page load speeds. Statistics collected by Amazon and Walmart are some live and practical examples of this.
With every delay of 1 sec in your website loading time, you are losing your customer satisfaction of 17% , page views by 11% and most important conversions (form, sales, download etc) by 7%.
With research done on web users, it is known that every user expects a web page to load in 2 seconds or less. And even after a 22% hike in average website load speed, the minimum average time taken for a website to load is 7.72 seconds – something almost 4 times the expected user time limit. It would not be an exaggeration to say that nobody waits for long on a web page if its takes time to load. Therefore, maintaining a web speed is necessary, not only for better Google rankings but also in preserving the bottom line profits of an industry.
Here are some important points that can help enhance your website page load speeds. Some points are easy-to-implement and do not require and prior technical knowledge and thus can be easily put to use by any general individual.
Reducing On-page Components – For each section and sub-section of a web page, an HTTP request is made and this increases the time taken to fully load. So, simplify your design. Cut-short on the elements of a page. Using CSS instead of images is a good idea too. You may also combine multiple style sheets into a single one.
Caching Plugin – Loading Speeds are greatly reduced when caching plugins are used. Some of these are available for free download on the internet.
Database Optimization – This option is most applicable for eCommerce sites. Adding an index to the stored database of the website increases web speed to a noteworthy value. If data stored in a table is not indexed, any particular required data will naturally take long to be fetched. Indexing works like a road guide, giving direct routes and short cuts to the data.
Content Delivery Networks – Using CDNs saves up to 60% of bandwidth and thus helps a lot in in speeding up a website. CDNs host all the web files across a large number of servers around the world. Thus, any user gets information from the nearest server.
Database Organization – Organizing and tidying up your database efficiently increases web speeds. Fetching data from a disorganized and messy database will definitely take longer time. WordPress users should pay specific attention to this point.
Compression – Enabling compression using compression techniques and tools reduces the bulks of information and zips them. This in turn reduces HTTP requests and thus increases website performances.
Images – Common edits on images are easy and can reduce load timings. Cropping, reducing colour depths and using the right format (JPEG being the best) are some popular formatting options that you can use for images.