One of the factors which greatly contributes to overall user experience is efficiency – how fast does the website load and is it quick enough? Internet users are demanding, but they are also complicated. Here we will see the ways to improve the website’s loading speed for better SEO.
They bounce from site to site with no consequence, so abandoning a piece of content is easy if it doesn’t fit their criteria.
On the other hand, the longer you can convince a visitor to stay on the website, the more they are investing in terms of their own time and interest. As the level of personal investment increases, the likelihood of a bounce (fast exit) gets smaller.
Therefore, the goal for a content developer should be to make the quality of the user experience clear right from the outset.
Website loading speed is a big part of this. If the page doesn’t load fast, that could be it for a company in terms of getting them to interact with the content. When the bounce rate is high because visitors are landing and leaving again within seconds, Google notices].
It has a negative impact on the search ranking, as too much bounce suggests that users aren’t finding the content to be very valuable.
The good news is that, like all ranking weaknesses, bounce rate can be fixed by improving loading speeds. Following are the 6 methods that will improve your website’s loading speed.
Reduce the Number of HTTP Requests
Around 80% of the loading time for a typical web page is spent handling its various piece parts. This includes the pictures, stylesheets, scripts, and any flash elements.
Loading each of them requires a separate HTTP request. Therefore, the more elements are included on the page, the longer it will take to load. On the other hand, that is not to say that having a lot of elements is always a bad thing. The reality is that sophisticated and complex platforms do contain a lot of details.
It is up to the content developer and the site manager to decide where that compromise lies. It is always necessary to sacrifice some degree of speed for higher quality, but the balance must be made carefully. If the web pages load too slowly and users lose interest, this will show in the search rankings.
This is all to say that reducing the number of HTTP requests is the simplest and easiest way to get a boost of speed and also work to improve the website’s loading speed. However, it does mean taking elements away. The best advice is to make sure that every component has a purpose.
Don’t insert images purely to make up empty space. Consider whether multiple stylesheets can be assimilated into just one. Also, reduce scripts and place them at the bottom of web pages.
Compress Large Pages
Rich, high-quality content tends to tip the scales when it comes to data volume. Large pages (over 100KB) are filled with valuable elements, but they take a long time to load. They are bulky, and they can stifle the good work of on-page SEO elsewhere. One solution is to zip bulky pages using a technique called compression.
It shrinks the bandwidth of the page, which cuts its HTTP response time. A good tool to use for compressing images is Gzip because around 90% of internet traffic is compatible with the software.
What it does is shrink web pages into the Gzip format, so that they are sent for download in a much smaller size. It is a simple strategy, and it can reduce loading times by as much as 70%.
Activate Browser Caching
Browser caching is a smart way to speed up loading times for repeat visitors. It isn’t a cure-all because first-time users still need to land on a really fast website.
Nevertheless, if the number of repeat visitors is increasing, it means that the content is performing well. Keep it up, and Google will attach more value to the website.
When users first land on a new web page, their hard drive makes a copy of the basic elements. This includes the style sheets, JavaScript files, images, HTML documents, and other components. The page won’t load fully until this process is complete. For around thirty elements, this might take approximately 3.2 seconds.
The copied data is stored (or cached) and doesn’t need to be loaded on the second, third, or fourth visit to the website.
Theoretically, the subsequent visits should see the page load around two or three seconds faster helping improve website’s loading speed. This is why websites should always allow caching. It is an insurance policy of sorts, a way to keep users satisfied if they do come back.
The maximum that a website can cache data for is one year, but this is quite unusual. Most only cache for a week at a time, then the information is deleted. It keeps the content fresh because users who haven’t made a second visit within a week grow increasingly less likely to do so and losing their cached data is a reasonable risk.
Minify the Website Code
The term ‘wiz-ee-wig’ is an affectionate moniker used to describe web site development programs which support a ‘see as you build’ process.
WordPress is a good example of a WYSIWYG, as it allows users to design and create in a visual form, while the code reacts to changes and alterations. It is a highly valuable system, particularly for content developers with very basic coding skills.
The problem is that it gets messy. When visual elements are constantly being chopped and changed, bits of code get left behind, moved around, and rendered dysfunctional.
It isn’t a neat way of doing things, and all these little errors can contribute to slower loading speeds. To rectify them, somebody with the right knowledge of coding needs to review the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and eliminate ‘dead’ sections.
It is always best if a real person, with genuine reactions, can complete this task, but there are some tools out there to help the inexperienced and will improve website’s loading speed.
Google recommends the use of the PageSpeed Insights extension for Chrome. It identifies weak sections of code and streamlines the HTML for a faster website. Similarly, the Closure Compiler and YUI Compressor programs handle messy javascript and CSS.
Refine the Larger Images
Images can be a real frustration for content developers. Yet, they are important. It just isn’t feasible for content to be hosted without pictures sometimes, even though they put the biggest drain on loading resources. The larger the images, the longer it takes, so one simple solution is to be selective when choosing.
Adding original high-quality photographs, for example, is good for SEO on the one hand, because it showcases entirely unique content, but it does put a strain on the response times.
Focus on three elements when refining website images. They are size, format, and coding. Ultimately, pictures need to be kept as small as possible. Crop them to match the dimensions of the page. If a page that is 600 pixels in width, resize the image to match. Don’t just automatically upload a picture which is massively overinflated (2000 pixels) and a poor match for the content.
Always set the width parameter to the width of the page and ensure that all images are relevant, clear, and load correctly every time. There should be no comments or extraneous information attached to them.
JPEG is, to some degree, the superior choice for hosting images. PNG is suitable and will work in most cases, but older browsers don’t recognize it.
Nevertheless, it isn’t such a big risk to using PNG, because it is these users who will have to update eventually, not the other way around. GIFS are handy, as they are very small. However, they don’t carry much quality and should be limited to basic, simple graphics (below ten pixels).
Finally, don’t forget to touch up the coding after the image is inserted. Empty src codes are common, but they create an unnecessary mess and increase loading speeds.
When the source information is empty (there is nothing between the quotation marks), the browser sends a request to the directory of the page. It adds pointless traffic to the servers, and it can even lead to problems with corrupt data.
Keep an eye on the state of codes and check back to ensure that vital information isn’t missing. All images need an active URL source – a test that the external website works before making a link.
Make Redirects Smoother
Every new redirect produces an HTTP request and increases website loading times. This is a bigger problem for pages with a responsive design, as redirects are used to guide visitors through the main website to the mobile-friendly one.
They are important, but they need to work fast. Sluggish redirects are bad for ranking high in the search results.
One fast, a prompt redirect is recommended, soon after a mobile user lands on the site. The aim should be to get them to the responsive platform swiftly, and it is best to make the jump right away. Avoid all intermediate and unnecessary redirects, particularly once they have started to browse and interact with content.
Crucially, if the following piece of code is incorporated into desktop pages, Google can pick out the mobile-friendly content. It is a good way to boost on-page SEO, as it tells the search engine how to interpret the pages. When Google does not have to work things out independently, it can index websites much faster, and this is great for ranking results.
