Web performance is no longer a nicety; it's a necessity. Today, web performance plays a very vital role in user experience and SEO ranking. A slow-loading website costs visitors, conversions, and revenue. It has been estimated that a 1-second delay in page load time could decrease conversions by up to 7%.
In real Website Speed Matters ?
1. User Experience
A speedy website allows users a smooth and pleasant experience. Being in the digital world, people crave results instantaneously. As page load time rises from 1 second to 3 seconds, the probability of a user bouncing increases by 32%, says Google.
If your site takes longer to load, users are likely to abandon it and find an alternative.
2. SEO Rankings
Google has made website speed a ranking factor in its algorithm. Particularly with the introduction of Core Web Vitals. It can measure loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.
A slow website can also negatively affect SEO rankings. That just makes it harder for prospects to find you.
3. Conversion Rates
Speed is directly proportional to the conversion rate. It was already proved that the fastest websites have better conversion rates, which means more visitors become customers.
4. Mobile-First World
And with over half of all web traffic originating from mobile devices, the need to have a lightning-fast site on mobile is now more important than ever. Mobile users are usually much more impatient too, which means a slow mobile website can equate to high bounce rates and missed opportunities.
Factors Affecting Website Speed
Before we go on with how to increase your website speed, let's consider a number of factors that slow down a website:
- Large Image Files
- Too Many HTTP Requests
- Unoptimized Code (CSS, JavaScript)
- Slow Hosting Provider
- Too Many Plugins (for WordPress or other CMS)
- Lack of Caching
How to Measure Website Speed
Before making any changes, you need to know how your website currently performs. There are several tools available to test website speed, each providing different insights:
- Google Page Speed Insights: Offers a detailed analysis of your website’s performance.
- GT Metrix: Provides a comprehensive report on page speed. It also includes load times, size, and total requests. It also gives actionable suggestions to improve performance.
- Ping dom: A quite simple tool to test your website load speed from different locations of the world. It breaks down the performance into load time, page size, and requests.
- Web Page Test: Advanced tool that allows you to test your site on various browsers. Besides that, it also measures connection speeds.
After testing, you'll have a clearer view of what slows down your site.
How to Increase Website Speed: some Actionable Tips
- Optimize Images
How to Optimize Images
- Use Tiny PNG or JPEG mini to compress images with no loss in quality.
- Use the correct file format: JPEG for photos, PNG for images with transparency, and SVG for simple graphics or icons.
- Lazy loading: Implement lazy loading so images are only loaded when they are visible on the user’s screen, reducing initial load times.
- Responsive images: Serve different image sizes based on the user’s device with the srcset attribute in HTML.
- Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
Tools to minify code:
Use Minify Code or CSSNano for CSS files.
UglifyJS for JavaScript minification.
WordPress users can use plugins like WP Rocket or Autoptimize to minify code automatically.
- You can compress via Gzip or Brotli
How to enable Gzip / Brotli:
For Apache servers, you should add the necessary Gzip or Brotli configuration in the .htaccess file.
- Leverage Browser Caching
How to enable caching:
Using WordPress, download and install caching plugins like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache.
If you are on a non-WordPress platform, then define caching rules in your .htaccess file.
- Minimize HTTP Requests
The ways you can follow to reduce HTTP requests .
You can Combine CSS and JavaScript files wherever possible.
Try to apply CSS sprites for a numerous amount of images that can be merged into one.
Delete plugins, widgets, and third-party scripts that are just adding to the extra requests.
- You can use the Content Delivery Network (CDN) approach
A Content Delivery Network, or CDN in short, tries to distribute files on a number of servers across the world. A user can now fetch your site from a server that is closer to his location.This reduces latency and speeds up load times, especially for users far from your server’s main location.
Popular CDNs include:
1. Cloudflare
2. KeyCDN
3. Amazon CloudFront
4. StackPath
By caching your content on servers across the globe, a CDN can drastically reduce the time it takes for pages to load, particularly for international visitors.
- You can choose Fast and Reliable Hosting
Types of hosting:
- Shared Hosting: Very affordable but slows down at traffic spikes due to the sharing of resources between sites.
- VPS Hosting: VPS hosting has more dedicated resources; thus, making them faster compared to shared hosting.
- Dedicated Hosting: You have an entire server to yourself, but it can be expensive.
- Remove Unnecessary Plugins
- Asynchronous Loading of CSS and JavaScript
While a browser is loading your website, it reads the whole source code of your website. If it encounters a CSS or JavaScript file that is set to load synchronously, it will not stop loading until that particular file has loaded up completely. Loading asynchronously allows the rest of your content to load as it fetches your CSS or JavaScript. How to implement asynchronous loading:
Add async or defer in your script tags for JavaScript files.
- You can optimize Your Database
Day by day, your website's database will gradually grow in size with lots of useless data, like post revisions, spam comments, and trashed items. Cleaning up your database can help reduce the load time by facilitating ease of access to information.
For WordPress Users:
Clean up and optimize your database using plugins like WP-Optimize or WP-Sweep.
For Other Sites
You might want to manually optimize your database using SQL queries or a database management tool like phpMyAdmin. - Enable HTTP/2
- Limit the Use of Web Fonts
- You can reduce your Redirects
- Periodic Check-Up and Maintenance of Your Site
HTTP/2 is the second major revision of the HTTP network protocol, presenting significant performance improvements over the previous version, known as HTTP/1.1. It enables multiplexing, meaning that multiple files can be downloaded at once instead of one after another, and there are many speed advantages during the process of loading.
How to enable HTTP/2:
Most modern web hosting providers support HTTP/2 by default. Check with your provider or switch to one that supports it.
Web fonts can enhance your site’s design, but they can also add to your page’s load time. Each font style and weight is an additional HTTP request.
How to optimize web fonts:
Only use the font weights and styles you need.
Use system fonts (fonts already available on users’ devices) whenever possible.
Use web font services like Google Fonts that offer optimizations for speed.
Every redirect of your website causes an extra HTTP request and response. It will affect the page loading. As a result your website become slower.
How to minimize redirects:
Audit your site for superfluous redirects and eliminate those.
Use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider that provides information regarding superfluous redirects.
The performance of a website isn't something you optimize once and forget about. Continuous monitoring and maintenance is very important if your site is going to remain fast.
The more content and plugins that you add, or the more design changes you make, your site performance will degrade over time.
Regular maintenance tips:
Run speed tests every month using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix.
Keep your plugins, themes, and CMS up to date to ensure you’re running the latest, most efficient versions.
Regularly review your hosting plan to ensure it meets your traffic and performance needs.
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Day by day, your website's database will gradually grow in size with lots of useless data, like post revisions, spam comments, and trashed items. Cleaning up your database can help reduce the load time by facilitating ease of access to information.
For WordPress Users:
Clean up and optimize your database using plugins like WP-Optimize or WP-Sweep.
For Other Sites
You might want to manually optimize your database using SQL queries or a database management tool like phpMyAdmin.
- Enable HTTP/2
HTTP/2 is the second major revision of the HTTP network protocol, presenting significant performance improvements over the previous version, known as HTTP/1.1. It enables multiplexing, meaning that multiple files can be downloaded at once instead of one after another, and there are many speed advantages during the process of loading.
How to enable HTTP/2:
Most modern web hosting providers support HTTP/2 by default. Check with your provider or switch to one that supports it.
12. Limit the Use of Web Fonts
Web fonts can enhance your site’s design, but they can also add to your page’s load time. Each font style and weight is an additional HTTP request.
How to optimize web fonts:
Only use the font weights and styles you need.
Use system fonts (fonts already available on users’ devices) whenever possible.
Use web font services like Google Fonts that offer optimizations for speed.
13. You can reduce your Redirects
Every redirect of your website causes an extra HTTP request and response. It will affect the page loading. As a result your website become slower.
How to minimize redirects:
Audit your site for superfluous redirects and eliminate those.
Use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider that provides information regarding superfluous redirects.
14. Periodic Check-Up and Maintenance of Your Site
The performance of a website isn't something you optimize once and forget about. Continuous monitoring and maintenance is very important if your site is going to remain fast.
The more content and plugins that you add, or the more design changes you make, your site performance will degrade over time.
Regular maintenance tips:
Run speed tests every month using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix.
Keep your plugins, themes, and CMS up to date to ensure you’re running the latest, most efficient versions.
Regularly review your hosting plan to ensure it meets your traffic and performance needs.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Day by day, your website's database will gradually grow in size with lots of useless data, like post revisions, spam comments, and trashed items. Cleaning up your database can help reduce the load time by facilitating ease of access to information.
For WordPress Users:
Clean up and optimize your database using plugins like WP-Optimize or WP-Sweep.
For Other Sites
You might want to manually optimize your database using SQL queries or a database management tool like phpMyAdmin.
- Enable HTTP/2
HTTP/2 is the second major revision of the HTTP network protocol, presenting significant performance improvements over the previous version, known as HTTP/1.1. It enables multiplexing, meaning that multiple files can be downloaded at once instead of one after another, and there are many speed advantages during the process of loading.
How to enable HTTP/2:
Most modern web hosting providers support HTTP/2 by default. Check with your provider or switch to one that supports it.
12. Limit the Use of Web Fonts
Web fonts can enhance your site’s design, but they can also add to your page’s load time. Each font style and weight is an additional HTTP request.
How to optimize web fonts:
Only use the font weights and styles you need.
Use system fonts (fonts already available on users’ devices) whenever possible.
Use web font services like Google Fonts that offer optimizations for speed.
13. You can reduce your Redirects
Every redirect of your website causes an extra HTTP request and response. It will affect the page loading. As a result your website become slower.
How to minimize redirects:
Audit your site for superfluous redirects and eliminate those.
Use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider that provides information regarding superfluous redirects.
14. Periodic Check-Up and Maintenance of Your Site
The performance of a website isn't something you optimize once and forget about. Continuous monitoring and maintenance is very important if your site is going to remain fast.
The more content and plugins that you add, or the more design changes you make, your site performance will degrade over time.
Regular maintenance tips:
Run speed tests every month using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix.
Keep your plugins, themes, and CMS up to date to ensure you’re running the latest, most efficient versions.
Regularly review your hosting plan to ensure it meets your traffic and performance needs.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Day by day, your website's database will gradually grow in size with lots of useless data, like post revisions, spam comments, and trashed items. Cleaning up your database can help reduce the load time by facilitating ease of access to information.
For WordPress Users:
Clean up and optimize your database using plugins like WP-Optimize or WP-Sweep.
For Other Sites
You might want to manually optimize your database using SQL queries or a database management tool like phpMyAdmin.
11. Enable HTTP/2
HTTP/2 is the second major revision of the HTTP network protocol, presenting significant performance improvements over the previous version, known as HTTP/1.1. It enables multiplexing, meaning that multiple files can be downloaded at once instead of one after another, and there are many speed advantages during the process of loading.
How to enable HTTP/2:
Most modern web hosting providers support HTTP/2 by default. Check with your provider or switch to one that supports it.
12. Limit the Use of Web Fonts
Web fonts can enhance your site’s design, but they can also add to your page’s load time. Each font style and weight is an additional HTTP request.
How to optimize web fonts:
Only use the font weights and styles you need.
Use system fonts (fonts already available on users’ devices) whenever possible.
Use web font services like Google Fonts that offer optimizations for speed.
13. You can reduce your Redirects
Every redirect of your website causes an extra HTTP request and response. It will affect the page loading. As a result your website become slower.
How to minimize redirects:
Audit your site for superfluous redirects and eliminate those.
Use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider that provides information regarding superfluous redirects.
14. Periodic Check-Up and Maintenance of Your Site
The performance of a website isn't something you optimize once and forget about. Continuous monitoring and maintenance is very important if your site is going to remain fast.
The more content and plugins that you add, or the more design changes you make, your site performance will degrade over time.
Regular maintenance tips:
Run speed tests every month using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix.
Keep your plugins, themes, and CMS up to date to ensure you’re running the latest, most efficient versions.
Regularly review your hosting plan to ensure it meets your traffic and performance needs.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
Conclusion
If you want to increase your website speed , you need to do details work. By working on backend you will notice an improved user experience, with better SEO rankings, conversions, and overall business performance. Optimizing images, minifying code, using caching, and many of the other tips laid out here will get you on track for a faster and more efficient website.
Web performance is an ongoing process, and quite often site maintenance is necessary for optimum performance of your website while growing and changing all the time. Invest some time in implementing these strategies, and you will see the fruits of user engagement and visibility in search engines.
