How To Improve Page Speed - Digital Cobweb

How To Improve Website Speed

Are slow loading speeds on your website driving away potential customers?

Look no further! In our latest blog post, we’re going to show you how to boost your website speed and keep your visitors engaged. With easy-to-follow tips and tricks, you’ll be able to optimize your website and provide a lightning-fast user experience that keeps users coming back for more. So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to supercharge your website speed with our expert advice!

WEBSITE SPEED

This edition is all about website speed, and the tips and tricks to improve upon. Enjoy!

Are you tired of slow website speeds that leave your users frustrated and clicking away before they can even experience what you have to offer? Well, fear not! In this post, we’re going to dive into the world of page speed and explore the many different factors that can affect it. Throughout this brilliant edition we recommend using PageSpeed insights to monitor your websites performance. We love the numbers.

First up, let’s talk about the external factors that can impact your website’s speed. When it comes to building a website, we need a server to serve our content to our users. But not all servers are created equal! Shared servers, which are often used for WordPress and static websites, can be slower due to multiple websites using the same server. But fear not, my friends, because there is a solution: Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).

CDNs are like the superheroes of website speed. They have servers located in multiple countries, which cache your website’s content and deliver it to the end user from the closest server. This means that your website’s content is delivered faster, including HTML, Javascript, and all your assets. So, when looking for a hosting provider, be sure to choose one that uses a CDN.

But external factors aren’t the only things that can slow down your website. Your website’s structure also plays a role. The way bots read your website can impact its speed, as well as the size of certain elements such as images and videos.

Ah, the elusive need for speed! We’ve covered external factors, but now it’s time to dive into the internal factors that can impact your website’s speed. From image sizes to the amount of Javascript used, there are plenty of things to consider.

Let’s start with images. While a picture is worth a thousand words, it can also slow down your website if not optimized properly. That’s why we like to compress and optimize our images, making sure they fit the required size of our design. By aiming for around 500kb for hero images and 250kb for others, we can shave off a solid 1-2 seconds from our load times. I even had one website where this method alone saved a whopping 1.5 seconds!

And let’s not forget about Javascript and CSS. While a little bit of animation can add some pizzazz to your website, going overboard can lead to bloated files and slower load times. That’s why we opt for a simple design that doesn’t require an animation on every element (yes, they do exist!). And to further enhance our content files, we can minify both our JS and CSS files. This process shrinks the files even further, helping to speed up our website even more.

Another tip is to cache your website pages. By doing this every month (somewhere between 2-4 weeks), you’ll keep your website files lean and mean, which translates into lightning-fast loading times for your users. So what exactly is caching? Think of it as a digital shortcut that ensures that the current versions of your html, css, and other files are always used to deliver your content to your users. And when you’re planning a redesign, be sure to do a full cache after you’ve backed up your site – it’s the best practice for ensuring that your shiny new design loads in a flash.

The final tip I will share today is mainly for WordPress users. When it comes to plugins, less is definitely more! I recommend keeping it to a modest 1-5 plugins, although I understand that some sites may require a bit more. Still, I implore you to resist the urge to go plugin-crazy and use no more than 10, to ensure that your site doesn’t get bogged down by bloated files. So go forth, be judicious with your plugins, and watch your WordPress website soar to new heights of speed and performance!

Thanks a million for tuning in to our latest blog post! This week, we’ve been all about need for speed and how to optimize our websites for top-notch performance on the user end. But don’t worry if you missed out – we’ll be back next week with another exciting edition of our blog, where we’ll be tackling the ins and outs of creating a brilliant user experience on your website. So mark your calendars, grab a cup of coffee, and join us next week for more expert insights and insider tips! Next Edition is Due: 27/04/2023. Get yourselves ready for this great edition. See You There!

Design By Jono – Digital Cobweb