Web site speed optimization helps retain visitors. Moreover, Google recently added web site speed as a ranking factor, so a poorly performing site can drag your rank positions down.
Beyond the issue with Google, numerous studies have shown that users have no patience for slow web sites, and a loading and rendering time of 5 seconds or less is their threshold. It comes down to the fact that speedy web sites impress users, while slow sites frustrate them.
When contemplating whether or not your site is loading and displaying (rendering) quickly enough to retain your visitors, consider this:
- Page rendering time is the first impression a user gets when visiting a site.
- Page design is the second impression.
- Content is the third impression.
When someone immediately abandons your web site because it is slow, you never give them a chance to form a second or third impression.
Browsers such as Internet Explorer and FireFox are very forgiving and correct numerous coding errors as they render web pages. Search engines sometimes have little mercy for coding mistakes or inefficient code. Speed optimization identifies and corrects common errors and assures that the web page code will be easy for spiders read.
When you have a need for faster web page speed
A speed optimization review uncovers numerous factors that directly affect the speed and performance of your site. Most issues can be easily corrected. Some are more difficult. The following is a partial list of the issues investigated:
- Hosting issues that affect web site speed
- Web site architecture – Is it efficient?
- Web page architecture – Is it efficient?
- Page weight – Is it excessive?
- Coding techniques – Are they efficient?
- Use of WYSIWYG tools – Are they generating efficient code?
- Code validation – Are there mistakes in your code?
- Images – Are you using the correct types of images?
- Images – Are they optimized properly?
- HTML – Is it bloated with unnecessary code?
- JavaScript – Is it implemented efficiently?
- Cascading Style Sheets – Is it implemented efficiently?
- Server Side Includes – Are they used excessively?
- Dynamic sites – Is your database slow or inefficient?
- Browsers – Is your code compatible with most browsers?
- Are you testing your site properly for speed-related issues?
Most Web sites suffer from some or all of the potential problem areas listed above.
A speed optimization review identifies performance issues with your web site. Once identified, we can show you how to resolve the issues in the most cost-effective manner. If you have an in-house web development team, we will identify the changes to be made, plus provide support for their questions. If you do not have a development team, we can optimize most web sites for you.
Web site speed optimization is currently included as a free addition to our Site Evaluation Services, our SEO Review and Coaching Services, our SEO Training and our Search Engine Optimization Services.
If you have questions or are interested in a Web site speed optimization review, please click here to contact us.
