Page speed has always been an important factor for search engine optimization. Over the years, this subject has become a complex one that often tends to be technical.
What are the elements that can improve the loading speed, how can they be put into practice and how difficult can it be in the end? To help you find the answer to these questions, we have addressed the topics that bother you so much, in a way that is easy to understand (and put into practice).
A user accesses the browser, enters the site, after which a DNS request is made. A DNS request is a request for information sent from a user’s computer (DNS client) to a DNS server. In most cases a request is sent to request the IP address associated with a domain name.
Issues that could slow down the site
- We can’t start this list without putting the images first. Yes, you read that right, large size images are the biggest culprit for slow loading web pages.
- Hosting can create problems.
- Plugins, apps and widgets, basically any script on your website can slow down your load time.
- Website theme and any larger files.
- Redirects.
- Java Scripts.
Load speed analysis tools and resources
Let’s look at the known data of the problem: Google suggests that the optimal load time for a page is between two and three seconds. The faster, the better, but what does it take to get to “fast”?
Chrome User Experience Report
This tool is only available for larger and popular websites, but you can get some useful details. In addition, you will need some basic SQL knowledge.
Lighthouse
The Lighthouse tool is available right in Chrome Dev Tools. In short, there is no need to install any extensions. To access this functionality, you will have to enter a page (opened with the Chrome browser), after which you will right-click -> Inspect. Open Chrome Developer Tools in the right tab where it says Audit. Congratulations, once you’re here you’ll be able to run a Lighthouse report. An interesting aspect of this functionality are the recommendations for optimizing the loading speed.
Pagespeed Insights
The “Pagespeed Insights” tool will analyze how the site is configured, and after the analysis will provide feedback based on this.
Test my website: Think with Google
This tool tests website loading speed on mobile devices. Just like the other tools presented above, you will receive recommendations for improving values.
Ways to improve page speed
Website security
Securing the website via HTTP2 will not only positively influence the page loading speed, but will generally help you in search engine optimization.
Enables caching and uses a content delivery network
Caching is an important criterion. Check your website settings to see if your CDN is configured correctly.
Image compression
The easiest way to optimize loading speed is by compressing images. To do this, you will need an online tool. There are dozens or maybe even hundreds of such free tools available.
Resource minimization
Minimizing files can save a lot of space and a lot of seconds for page load speed. As in the situation above, there are many online resources that can facilitate your work process.
Conclusion
Remember, every extra second added to loading speed can indirectly cost you potential customers and a high bounce rate (high indicator values can negatively influence search engine optimization). So, how much time do you invest in optimizing your upload speed?
