Ever found yourself clicking on a website, only to feel like you've entered a time loop while waiting for it to load? We've all been there, right?
So, what did you do next? I’m guessing you did what many of us would do – hit the exit button and moved on to the next link on that search engine.
Now, think about it. That website had just missed out on having you as a potential customer simply because they didn't bother to optimize their site. It's a virtual "see ya later" or maybe never to a valuable visitor. This is precisely why it's non-negotiable to ensure your website loads at lightning speed, providing users with the best possible user experience.
Improving your website speed may sound a bit technical and intimidating for someone without IT knowledge, but don't worry – it's not rocket science! We're about to reveal five simple steps that anyone – yes, even you – can take today to fast-track your website's performance.
So, are you ready to pick up a few tricks? Let's dive right in!
PRO TIP: Speeding up your website doesn't just make it more user-friendly – it can also give your search engine rankings a significant boost!
Before We Dive Into The How, Let’s Dive Into The Why: Why Is Site Speed Super Important?
In today’s world, where time is of the essence, we want what we want as soon as possible. Why wait, especially when there are quicker alternatives available elsewhere?
In fact, here are some statistics that I pulled from HostingAdvice that will help you see why site speed is super important.
A page that loads in just one second has a high conversion rate of 40%. But, for each extra second it takes to load, that conversion rate drops. It goes from 40% to 34% between one and two seconds. If it takes even longer, the chances of people taking action and converting drop to 29% or even lower.
When your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, the bounce rate increases by 32%.
Optimizing the images on your website can boost speed by up to 10%.
Google started considering speed as a ranking factor back in 2010.
Approximately 39% of online shoppers look for a website to load in 3 seconds or faster.
This shows how important it is to ensure that your website loads fast. Without further ado, let’s jump into the 5 simple steps you can take to do exactly that.
Pick The Right Hosting
Picking the right hosting provider is a big deal when it comes to how well your website runs. It affects things like how fast your pages load.
One mistake many people make is going for cheap hosting just to save a few bucks each month. But here's the catch – often, cheap hosting means your site has to share resources with lots of other websites on an overloaded server. This can end up slowing down how fast your pages load, and that's not good.
On the flip side, some hosting options, like SiteGround or Kinsta, really focus on making your site speedy. These providers usually don't do shared hosting, so you won't have to stress about other websites hogging all the resources that could make your site faster.
Optimize The Images On Your Site
While images can grab attention and keep people engaged, don't let that compromise your website's speed. Make your website faster by resizing and compressing your images – it's an easy trick with big results. When people visit your site, their browsers have to load all the pictures on it.
Here's the deal: some website builders, like WordPress, let you upload really large images. But those big image files have larger sizes, and that can seriously slow down your website.
So, if you've been tossing up images without thinking about their size, chances are you've got some huge pictures on your pages, making things load way too slow.
But don't worry – there's a quick fix for this. Most photo editing tools let you resize images so they load faster. If you're on Windows, you can do it in a free program like Microsoft Paint. If you're on a Mac, use Preview. And if you've got something fancier like Photoshop, there's a "Save for Web" feature that shrinks images down.
Once you've shrunk your images and put them back on your website, you're giving your future visitors a quicker page load time. It's that simple!
Reduce The Number Of Plugins
Cut down on unnecessary plugins. Not all plugins are created equal, and having too many can make your site sluggish which is what we’re trying to avoid.
Outdated or poorly managed plugins might even open the door to security issues and mess with how well your site works. Yikes!
So, it's always a good idea to keep the number of plugins on your site to a minimum. You can do this by turning off and deleting any plugins that you're not currently using. Also, take a quick look at the plugins you have to see if some do the same thing or if you don't really need them anymore.
Some plugins might also make your site slower than others. To find out which ones, you can test them one by one. Start by turning off all your plugins (maybe try this on a test site first), then switch them back on one at a time. Use a tool like PageSpeed Insights each time to see if your site gets slower.
While some plugins might only slow things down a little, if you notice a big change, it could be a sign to find another tool that does the same thing but is better at it.
Make Your Website Faster with a CDN
Ever noticed that some websites load lightning-fast no matter where you are? That magic is often thanks to a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
First of all, what is CDN? In simpler terms, CDNs optimize load times by serving up content from the nearest server to your users.
For instance, if your website is hosted on a server in New York and someone from London pays a visit, the CDN ensures they don't experience long waits due to the geographical gap. Instead, it spreads out your content across servers globally, ensuring a swift and smooth experience.
When we talk about CDNs, big players like Cloudflare work the best, ensuring your website's content reaches users at lightning speed, no matter where they are in the world.
At the end of the day, it's not just about having a website; it's about having one that efficiently zips through the online world.
Make Your Website Faster with Browser Caching
Alright, so we've covered some handy tricks to speed up your website, but there's one more that can really make a difference – it's called browser caching.
Technically, when someone visits your website, their browser downloads stuff like images and styles to show them the page. Now, with browser caching, these elements get stored in their browser's memory.
So, the next time they swing by your site, their browser doesn't have to re-download everything. It just grabs the bits it needs, making the page load way faster. This not only speeds things up for your visitors but also cuts down on the data used by both them and your server.
Yes, I know it sounds complicated to set up browser caching, but it’s actually very simple! There are plugins like Jetpack or WP Rocket that can handle it for you. It's like giving your website a little shortcut to load faster every time someone comes back for more.
Final Words
A fast-loading website is essential for providing a positive user experience and achieving higher search engine rankings. These five simple fixes can significantly improve your website's speed and performance.
Once you've taken all these steps, remember to regularly monitor your website's speed to identify areas for improvement and ensure a seamless experience for your visitors!
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
Well, aren’t we glad you asked! We at DigiCom are obsessive data-driven marketers pulling from multi-disciplinary strategies to unlock scale. We buy media across all platforms and placements and provide creative solutions alongside content creation, and conversion rate optimizations. We pride ourselves on your successes and will stop at nothing to help you grow.