Website Optimization Techniques
Website performance optimization is always something that should be the top priority, especially when there is so much online competition. And as we know websites are visited even though the actual purchase can be made in-store. Therefore, a website should be user-friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate. High-performance websites result in high return visits, low bounce rates, higher conversions, engagement, higher ranks in organic search, and better user experience.
Slow websites will cost you money and a damaged reputation. By reducing the page load time you will positively impact marketing and sales processes. You’ll get higher traffic and attract more qualified leads that can be converted into customers. In this article, we will give you recommendations about how to improve your website performance and page load time.
Guidelines to speed up your website
1. Use Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A content delivery network is a set of web servers distributed across various geographical locations that provide web content to end-users with regard to their location. When you host the website on a single server, all user's requests are sent to the same hardware. For this reason, the time needed to process each request increases. With CDN, user requests are redirected to the nearest server. As a result, the content is delivered to a user quicker and a website works faster.
2. Image Optimization
Everyone loves eye-catching images. Because images can express more rather than a lot of texts. Use tools like TinyPNG, Kraken.io, JPEGmini, etc, which reduces the size of the image while quality remains more or less the same.
3. Reduce HTTP Requests
In general, Website redirects create additional HTTP requests which also impact performance. To prevent bottlenecks, the number of individual pages elements is reduced using resource consolidation whereby smaller files, such as images, are bundled together into one file. First, you should identify all redirects on your page by running a site scan. You can use Screaming Frog to quickly identify redirects.
4. Code minification
Club/Group JavaScript and CSS files, to reduce the number of HTTP requests when your website visitors want to access particular files. If you reduce the number of JavaScript and CSS files this will undoubtedly speed up your website. There are a lot of tools to minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files quickly. For instance, you can use WillPeavy, Script Minifier, or Grunt tools.
5. Web caching optimization
Web Caching Optimization reduces server load, bandwidth usage, and latency. This saves server time and makes things altogether faster. In case there are a lot of users accessing the page at one-time servers work slowly and need more time to deliver the web page to each user. Caching is the process of storing the current version of your website on the hosting and presenting this version until your website is updated. This means that the web page doesn’t render over and over again for each user. A cached web page doesn’t need to send database requests each time.
6. Web Font Performance
According to the HTTP Archive, 60% of websites are now using custom fonts. The disadvantages of web fonts, such as Google Fonts, are that they add extra HTTP requests to external resources. Web fonts are also rendered blocking. Below are some recommendations for better web font performance.
- Prioritize based on browser support
- Choose only the styles you need
- Keep character sets down to a minimum
Conclusion
Currently, a typical user expects web pages to load less than after 3 seconds. If you don’t meet this expectation barrier, you lose a lot of website traffic and, as a result, your revenue.
I have covered techniques which is common and mostly get an impact on our website. Are there some website performance optimization tips that we left out? If so feel free to let me know.