The activity of people working online revolves around search engines, especially around the giant Google. Almost all – or most – online actions are done for it. Website optimization has become the main concern of online marketers.
Over time, Google has implemented numerous criteria and filters to index and display the best and most relevant websites for users. The selection algorithms targeted suspicious backlinks, excessive use of keywords, domain. All have become routine and no longer represent a novelty or current practice.
Now, one of the most important criteria, even crucial for those who want to achieve a good ranking, is the website loading speed.
After all, it is normal for Google to take this criterion into account:
• There is a higher chance that users will stay on the site. If the site loads quickly, then those who clicked will most likely stay longer on the site. If the visitor closes the site before it loads, Google will automatically lower that site in the results list.
• At the same time, the loading time of a site generally remains consistent across all devices, regardless of their nature, which is a plus from all points of view. Mobility and usability are paramount.
How can you improve the loading time of a web page?
Although it may seem easy, this target is harder to achieve because many elements influence loading time.
1. Minimizing on-page components. Various processes can occur in the code behind a page between flash elements, stylesheets, and scripts. These can noticeably slow down the page loading time. One solution would be combining stylesheets or replacing images with CSS, so the page will load much faster.
2. Compressing large pages. If a page exceeds 100kb, it is already harder to load and will not perform as desired. On the other hand, these large pages cannot be removed because Google loves them: rich content, illustrated with images and videos, with links and varied elements. The solution is compressing these pages.
Compression reduces the bandwidth of pages, thus reducing the HTTP response. A tool that can be used for this is Gzip.
Currently, most web servers can compress files in Gzip format before sending them for download, either by calling a third-party module or using a series of built-in routines. According to Yahoo, this can reduce download time by about 70%.
3. Using the browser's cache module. This will improve loading time by storing certain elements in the user's browser, so when returning to the site, it will load much faster. Although very useful, few people use this module.
4. Image optimization. Attention, in the case of images, should focus on three elements: format, size, and the Src attribute.
Format: the best choice is JPEG, followed by PNG. The GIF format can be used less frequently and only in very small format. BMP or TIFF images should be avoided.
Size: images should be sized to the dimensions at which they will be displayed. In other words, if they need to appear at 500 pixels, they should be uploaded at that size, not larger, with the size set later on the site.
Src attribute: in the code behind the image, this field must be inserted and should never be empty. Here the attributes or description of the image will be placed.
We have also talked about image optimization before on the blog: How to make your articles visual.
5. Eliminating excessive plugins. If they are not needed, it is better to remove them. They will only slow down page loading without bringing a clear benefit.
6. Hosting. Sometimes hosting services are not customized for the needs of each site, which unjustifiably increases page loading times. An analysis of hosting services and server response times is necessary.
These steps must be followed by everyone. Google places great emphasis on respecting these principles, so it has provided users with a special tool: PageSpeed Insights. This helps track and improve page loading times.
