Need for Speed: Website Edition

Check Engine Light

Interested in increasing your company’s digital reach? The first place to address may be your website speed. According to Google, 200 milliseconds is the maximum length of time users will wait before dropping off your website due to the load time. For efficiency, you need to meet and maintain that .2 second goal every time. This may sound hard to accomplish, but with the help of a trained web developer, you can drastically reduce web page loading time, achieving the highest speed possible for your website.

Pedal to the Metal

Decreasing your website’s load time is achieved through maximizing everything else. Take a look at a few ways to get you closer to that .2 second goal.

Take advantage of Content Distribution Networks (CDNs)

You may be losing out on website speed due to the physical distance between the audience and your original host server. CDNs are a network of servers around the world that ensure your website’s content is never too far away from your viewers. With a shorter physical distance between server and user, site load speed is significantly reduced.

Optimize File Sizes and Formats

Images, especially high resolution ones, are a common culprit of slow load time. But the size and format of those images and other files can affect website speed more than you think. Incorrect file sizes and formats can expend those precious bytes that cause your website to slow down.

Put Visible Content First

Above-the-fold content is what viewers can initially see on a page without having to scroll down. Relying too heavily on code for content that loads further down the page can decelerate load time for users.

Use Professional Web Hosting

When you don’t properly vet web hosting companies, you risk developing your site with a host server that’s overloaded and unmonitored. A mistake like this can seriously hurt your company’s digital presence with problems including slow load time, SEO-based penalties, site crashes and even loss of sensitive data. Appleton offers website hosting services to ensure that our sites’ downtime is kept to a minimum and all required maintenance is performed in-house.

Don’t Pump the Brakes

Following through on methods to reduce web page loading time matters for several critical reasons:

User Retention: As the world shifts to a mobile-first landscape, audience attention spans are steadily decreasing. When a world of knowledge is at your fingertips, it’s easy for users to be selective as to where they consume content. If your website is slow, users can easily find the information elsewhere.

User Recidivism: Not only does website load time influence user retention rate, but it affects the probability of users returning to your site, too. When load times are slow, users may form negative associations with your website, causing them to avoid the supposed hassle of using the site again.

Company Reputation: Low user retention and recidivism can directly affect your company’s reputation and credibility. Referrals are an important part of lead generation. If word gets out that your website is slow or error-prone, audiences may attribute that to your company in general, believing the entire operation to be antiquated and error-prone.

Optimizing your website for the best load time takes constant monitoring, which takes away from your valuable time. Working with an experienced web development company alleviates that pressure — allowing you to focus on your company while they maintain your website.

Rev up your website with web development experts. Appleton Creative is an award-winning, full-service digital marketing agency that specializes in Orlando web design services. Appleton works with local, national and international clients to deliver powerful, responsive websites that are specifically designed to be seen first in search engines. Reach your target customers in the right places and establish highly qualified leads with a dynamic and accessible website. Your web design and development goals are worth a conversation: contact us at 407-246-0092 or info@appletoncreative.com