The rapid development of technology has accustomed users to fast sites. That’s why most of them select platforms that load quickly, like a trusted sports betting app or Netflix. Slow loading irritates everyone: not only users but also search engines. Therefore, in the development of Internet projects, increase in loading speed is a priority.
Why You Need to Check the Site’s Loading Speed
Intelligent algorithms of search engines primarily take into account the behavior of users when they visit the site.
Let’s list the most important behavioral factors:
- Bounce rate.
- The degree of page views.
- The length of time the user is on the site.
These and several other criteria allow search engines to draw conclusions about the quality of sites and rank them. A site load speed is a factor that affects user behavior. When a site is slow to respond to a request, the user will not wait. He will go to a competitor and buy the right product on his site, which loaded quickly and did not hang up. This is especially important for mobile traffic.
Therefore, developers are trying different methods to optimize the loading speed of the site.
What the Loading Speed of the Site Depends on
In the process of loading the site, the client’s browser and the server with all the data exchanged.
Sometimes this exchange can be slow and the site hangs for the following reasons:
- When a low-powered server is used.
- When the engine (CMS) is not optimized.
- When the server is too far away: for example, the files are stored in Europe, and the user is requesting information sitting in San Francisco. It takes time for the system to connect the two points.
- When the site is overloaded images, texts, styles, etc. are loaded.
- Too much weight of the files.
Regardless of the reason, eliminating them will help to optimize site speed.
What Affects the Loading Speed of the Site
Loading time affects not only the user behavior, but also the parameters of its promotion. Let’s list which ones.
Indexing
The site is indexed when the search engine enters information about it in the database. The robot opens pages in a certain order, analyzes and sorts them in the output. The faster the site is indexed – the higher its position. Optimized sites are indexed faster, therefore, and their position in the search results is more favorable.
Ranking
Ranking is the sorting of sites in search engine results. Ranking provides relevant search results for a particular query.
Relevance is evaluated by a number of parameters:
- The relevance of the content on the page to the user’s query.
- Resource quality.
- Number and quality of incoming links.
The resource’s position in the output depends on how well it meets the requirements of the search system. Development of search systems is aimed at improving the quality of Internet service and providing a comfortable user experience in the online space. That is why another criterion was added to the listed ones: the site loading speed.
According to the official statement of Google, a slow site will directly affect its position in the rankings.
Conversion
In 2019, the agency Unbounce released the results of a study on website load speeds.
The following conclusions were made based on the data obtained:
- Approximately 70% of users admitted that loading speed influenced their decision to purchase a product or service.
- 19% of marketers refrained from influencing the loading speed on the conversion.
These studies showed that slow-loading pages impairs the user’s readiness for a targeted action.
What Tools Can Improve Download Speeds
PageSpeed Insights (PSI)
It works for desktops and mobile gadgets. Provides data about the speed of the site from real users, and can simulate the loading process itself. This simulation allows you to identify and fix problems with speed, and the data obtained from users helps to get a complete picture of the situation.
Pingdom Tools
A free tool which works within the Pingdom service. Pingdom Tools has only an English version, but the advanced functionality is intuitive.
Clear information and detailed recommendations make Pingdom Tools one of the most effective services for assessing the loading speed of the site.
WebPageTest
A professional tool for web analysts, developers and optimizers. Gives detailed information on general and specific indicators. Diagrams displaying sequential loading of elements are used for analysis.
Detailed analysis allows you to see the loading process in dynamics and understand the real situation.
How to Speed up the Loading of the Site
Loading speed is measured by various metrics. For example, the time to the first byte can be the speed of response of the server to the browser when sending a request from the user. Studying the start of site rendering and display time, server work are also ways to optimize speed.
Server Optimization
Before engaging in client optimization, you should first check the server and eliminate bugs.
Hosting
Hosting provides a service for storing files on a server with continuous access to the web. Slow site speed can be due to lack of hosting resources. It can be accelerated if you buy a hosting service with better characteristics.
However, this is a temporary solution to the problem – the cost of maintaining the site will grow to such an extent that it will be unaffordable for its owner. Then it makes sense to turn to methods of optimization.
Database Server (DBMS)
Database processing affects the response of the site to user requests. Delayed requests affect PHP. As a result, the system accumulates operations that are not available for server processing.
This process can be managed through DBMS. MySQL is one of the most popular open source software. Optimized MySQL tables prevent errors in information processing and increase the speed of content display.