Page loading speed is one of the most critical elements of your website. We live in a busy world, and users don’t want to wait for things they could get elsewhere much faster. If the pages on your website load slowly, you risk a lot, and you will notice a drop in your traffic or an increase in the bounce rate.
Furthermore, you will also witness a decrease in your Google ranking. Page speed affects your SEO ranking, and it is crucial to do something about that.
Let’s see what you can do to improve page load time on your SEO website design and why that is so important.
What is webpage speed?
If you wish to convert leads into customers on your website, you need to improve webpage speed. That is the amount of time it takes for your website to load fully. It is also known as the server response time, or time to first byte.
Webpage speed can be affected by many different factors:
- the quality of your hosting provider;
- Internet provider;
- server’s performance;
- the type of connection.
You can check your website speed with different speed testing tools. Let’s talk a bit more about how website speed affects search engine optimization.
How does page load time affect SEO?
It is a fact that page load time is one of the ranking factors for SEO. Google will consistently rank high-speed sites in front of slow-speed sites.
Furthermore, loading speed directly affects the visibility of your website. If Google’s algorithm determines that your website loads slowly, it will not send you a lot of traffic.
Customers don’t like to wait, and there is a high chance they will leave your website if it does not load in under three seconds. This is especially true on mobile. Google does not like anything that turns customers away.
Choose a CMS that allows you to optimize your website
Without a doubt, WordPress is the best CMS you can choose for building your website. It enables you to optimize all aspects of your pages fully and specifically focus on website speed.
This is because everything is already pre-written to a certain coding standard. However, if you wish to reach out to someone who can build a website from scratch, that is also an option. But keep in mind that maintaining that website will not be a simple task.
How to improve website speed?
You can speed up your WordPress website in many different ways. Here are some of the most efficient strategies you can try:
- activate browser caching;
- minify web page code;
- use a content delivery network;
- optimize all media files;
- audit JavaScript code;
- reduce the number of plugins and ads.
Let’s talk a bit more about each of these approaches.
How does browser caching improve website speed?
A request is sent to the server whenever someone visits your website. The server then must connect with the website, download all data, and load it for the user. A way to reduce this load time is to store parts of your website in your browser’s cache memory. This way, a user does not have to wait for the server to connect. The browser serves them a huge chunk of the website immediately.
Minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
All written code consists of characters and empty spaces. Loading every file also takes time; the more characters the file has, the longer the load time.
To minify code files means removing blank spaces not required for the file to run properly. When we code, we use empty spaces and new rows to make the file easily readable for us. However, the server does not need this beautified version of the file. If the code has no errors, you can remove all blank spaces, and it will read the file much faster.
The easiest way to do this is with the help of software designed specifically for this purpose.
The benefits of a CDN network
Content delivery network servers act as an access point from which your website can get resources. If your server is based in the US and a user from Asia wants to access your website, it will take more time for the website to load. However, CDN servers exist all around the world. If you store data on CDN, it will be pulled directly from an Asian server instead of a US one, and the page will load much quicker.
Optimize all media files
The size of your files directly affects the loading speed of the website. It will take a lot of time if a page needs to load a 6MB image. However, the load time will rapidly improve if you compress the image and make it smaller. The same applies to all your media files, images, videos, and audio recordings.
Remember that you must compress the files, so they don’t lose quality.
Audit JavaScript code
JavaScript makes all websites better. It improves the functionality of the website and adds impressive features. However, it also increases the load time.
While JavaScript can reside in any part of the page, it is usually best to place it at the bottom of the code. That way, the page gets to load before JavaScript. If you have external JavaScript files, always make sure to call them at the end of the page as well.
If you are unfamiliar with this coding process, it is best to leave website maintenance and code audit to programmers who understand how coding works. Pros in the field can assist you every step of the way, ensuring your website functions without a hitch.
Reduce the number of plugins and ads
Plugins and ads also add to the loading speed of your website. You should only focus on keeping the ones that improve customer experience and make your website better.
Furthermore, too many ads will also make the website feel spammy. So, keep it clean!
That’s how page speed affects your SEO ranking
All things considered; we can conclude that website optimization dramatically improves page load time. As a result, your website adds more value to your customers. And, since page speed affects your SEO ranking, your website will automatically rank higher. With that in mind, always make sure your website is fully optimized. Do regular speed tests and immediately fix issues to create a seamless experience and keep track of your website’s ranks with the best SEO tools.
Author Profile
- Online Media & PR Strategist
- I am an Online Media & PR strategist at ClickDo Ltd. & SeekaHost Ltd. and a Blogger and Educator by Passion. I am also a contributor to many News, Business, Education and Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom. I have completed a journalism summer course at the London School of Journalism and manage various blogs.
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