Many clients ask us how they can speed up their website. Others look at their SEO reports and ask why site speed is important. There is no one, single fix to improving website speed. There are a number of things that need to be adjusted to improve your site speed. Join the team at BSO Digital today to find out why site speed is important and how we can help you improve it!
Why is Website Speed So Important?
There are two reasons why you need to consider your website speed. Both of these reasons impact your lead generation and conversion, so they are important. Firstly, people don’t like to wait. Everyone wants things instantly and this is no exception when it comes to a website. People want answers to their questions and they want them immediately. Around 40% of customers will leave a website if it doesn’t load in 30 seconds.
The second reason is that Google’s algorithms show preferences for fast websites. The purpose of websites is to deliver the most relevant information to their users in the quickest time possible. So if your website is slow, Google is unlikely to recommend you as they want a good user experience across the board.
How Do Can I Speed Up My Website?
There are a few things that your web management company – like BSO Digital – can do to help you spend up your website.
Page Speed Tests
The first thing to do is for us to set benchmarks for your website. We then run page speed tests using specific tools to work out how fast your website is currently loading. Once we work out the average speed for your site, we look at improving it. Ideally we want your website to be at a speed of 2-3 seconds, or faster.
Image Optimisation for Website Speed
One of the easiest things to do – and one of the first steps we take when working on site speed – is image optimisation. This means working to reduce the file size of images and compressing them. This means they retain their stunning looks without the enormous file size.
Reducing website images and their file sizes means that the website doesn’t need to load as much content to the page. Page size should be around 1.5-6mb of data.
Caching to Improve Website Speed
A website cache is essentially a copy of your website which is stored in a computer for easy access. When we implement caching on a website this means that when a user previously visit your website, their browser will the load the cache, rather than loading every single file from the server. This can make a huge difference to website speed.
Minify and Compress Scripts for Speed
This is a difficult task that requires the work of a skilled developer to ensure nothing is broken during the minification process. Why is minification important? When someone loads your website, they don’t load a single page but possibly hundreds of different scripts and/or files to ensure the website works properly. Every time a script loads, it adds to the processing time for the website. Further, compressing scripts where possible is also important. It is also a difficult task that requires an experienced web developer – like those at BSO Digital – to ensure the compression is done safely and properly.
Upgrade Your Hosting for Faster Web Speed
Older hosting sites simply cannot compete with the newer options on the market. As one of Melbourne’s leading web design and web development companies, BSO Digital has access to some of the best hosting options on the market. Choosing the right option for your website in regards to its size, means you can get the right speed option for your site.
Is your website running slowly? Do you need a speed makeover and hosting help? Contact the team at BSO Digital today to discuss the options available for your website!