Running a slow website in the age of instant gratification is risky business. Site speed impacts that very first decision to engage with your brand. If it is too slow (loading takes longer than 3 seconds) new visitors may never come back and try again. That’s because they expect your pages to load almost instantly, and a lagging site means losing them before they even hit the homepage. Now, no need to fear if your site is slow-going! Here are a few simple fixes to optimize your website’s performance and speed.

If you’re not ready to handle the technicalities alone by the end, we’ve got you covered.

What to Know About Site Speed

Site speed is a first impression of your brand’s digital competence, and the difference between a thriving site and one that teeters on the edge could be those few short seconds your webpage takes to load. Why? A sluggish site paints a picture of a business that’s lagging behind. For a brand that aims to lead, there’s a need for speed. Your visitors expect an enjoyable, fast experience with your website, not a slow drag.

Slow loading casts a perception of doubt over your reliability.

That slow site could make your brand seem stagnant. While there’s a heavy learning curve when it comes to adopting modern website practices, because they’re always evolving, it’s entirely possible… especially when you call in the experts! A well-oiled website is your statement of care towards your clients’ experience and their valuable time. So, at the end of the day, when it comes to your business and the competition, speed is your stealth. 

Website Optimization for Fast Load Times

Good news: If speed is your barrier, let’s make it your launchpad. Your website can and should be a platform of efficiency. Here are some fixes we complete on our sites to make load time a breeze for customers.

• Optimize Images. Large images are far too often the culprits of slow load times. The remedy? Resize, compress, and select the right formats. This would be JPEG for rich photographs, PNG for crisp graphics, and SVG for scalable icons and logos. Use online tools like TinyPNG to reduce the file size of your images without losing quality.

1. Enable Browser Caching. Browser caching stores some of your website’s files on your visitor’s device, so they don’t have to download them each time they visit your site. This makes load times faster for returning visitors, allowing them to skip the introductions and get straight to business when they come back for round two.
2. Reduce the Number of Requests. Every element on your page (images, scripts, stylesheets) requires a separate request, which can slow down load times. You can think of these like asking a waiter (the site’s server) to bring you a specific dish (a web page or data) from the kitchen (the internet). Reduce a jam up of requests by merging files and using CSS sprites. This helps your web pages load in a blink.
3. Clean Up Your Code. Clean, minified code is a site in motion. Computer code is the set of instructions written by programmers that tells a computer how to perform specific tasks. When code contains unnecessary elements, such as redundant lines and overly complex structures, it can slow down the load time of software or web pages because the computer needs to process more information. We recommend removing unnecessary fluff throughout your code.
4. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN distributes your website’s files across various servers across the globe. This allows users to download those files (pull up your site) from the server closest to their location. This reduces load times. Popular CDN services include those like Cloudflare and Bunny CDN.

When it comes to your brand, the speed of your site sets the tone for engagement, conversion, and retention. Don’t allow the lag to dampen the mood. Fill out the form below and serve your audience on an optimized platform. It’s the new fast-track to your brand. 

Looking for more than just speed? Check out our website care plans.