The Top 10 Ways to Speed Up Your Site Easily

Looking to Speed Up Your Site to get more visitors? Google does look at a good number of things when ranking your website over your competitors, and focusing on the parameters can help improve your search rankings.

Plus, it does help make the visitor experience better too, leading to higher engagement rate.

So, how do you monitor the success of your website? The one thing that you need to look for is the page speed, and here is a look at few of the parameters that can influence it. Here is a look at the 10 ways you can speed up your site.

 

Load Time

 

Page Loading Speed

When it comes to the page loading time, every second does count. Statistics suggest that even a 4 second average page loading time could lead to as much as 25% of page abandonment rates.

In fact, John Mueller, from Google, stated in a Google Webmaster Help Thread that Google avoids crawling web pages that take more than 2 seconds to load. He even admitted page loading time to be a factor when eventually ranking web pages.

What adds to the complexity here is that the time your web page takes to load also varies according to the location it is accessed from- it would be faster near your servers’ location and slower as you go away from it.

If you want your web page to load faster, we would advise you to go for a Content Delivery Network (CDN) – there are a good many options to choose from, with the most popular one being Amazon CloudFront.

 

Reduce the Page Size

The page size is also an important metric. It tells Google just how much media there is in one page. Since a bigger page size would translate to an increased loading time as well, it’s one of the important things you need to look at.

ALSO READ  Why Should You Choose PHP for Web Development Services?

You would have images in every page and a good way to go about it is to look at reducing the image sizes. A good page size, according to CSS Tricks, is around 200 k. However, it all depends on the type of website you’re having.

Do note that even small images could take around 100k at the minimum, and so if you’ve a blog, the 200k limit wouldn’t be ideal for you. Instead, you need to ensure that there is only as much media as needed on the web page – and they’re compressed to reduce the page size. Enable page compression when you can so as to save space.

 

Minify Resources

get google ranking ad

If you’re using Wordpress, for instance, you could Wordpress plug-ins like Minify to help you with this. It helps reduce the page loading time, and the page size. There are a number of other things that tell Google just how much love you’ve given to your website (and your websites’ visitors)

 

Browser Caching

how using caching can improve your website download speed

Why should your web visitors have to load up the same information each time? If it’s the same web page they’re accessing; you can just help them cache the web page into their machine’s memory, the first time they are accessing

Normally, a good way is to use caching is to enable it for a few hours after a visitor first accesses it. So, if the user loads up the same web page, they don’t have to load up the media and the content – it’s already there cached on their machine.

As a result, the user saves on data, and the web page loads up almost instantly with no loading time delay.

ALSO READ  Top 10 Email Marketing Tips in 2022

 

Above the Fold Caching

However, user caching isn’t the only way to go about it – you can implement data caching from the server side as well. Headers and footers, for instance, will never change in any of your web pages, and you can direct your web server to cache it using techniques like output caching to speed up the caching process.

Above the fold caching, for instance, can help pages load up faster as well. With the top of the page loading first, it can enhance the user experience.

 

CSS

Every web page is written in CSS. Often, you would find the CSS script sending a lot of information that you don’t really need – which can increase the page loading time. You need to look at removing any unwanted CSS files and reducing the CSS script wherever you can.

 

Redirects

redirects can slow a website down significantly

You’ve a link that points to another link. Or, if you’ve an ecommerce store, you could create a redirect for the extended site URL and the asset store URL

No matter what your redirects are for, it can significantly slow down the loading time. URL redirects aren’t a great idea, and one you should avoid whenever possible.

Sometimes, the redirects itself are on web pages that do not work. If you’ve unused URL’s, it’s always a good idea to remove them from the database to avoid any confusion.

 

DNS lookups

The amount of time DNS lookups take to your overall page speed is known as the DNS lookup time. If DNS lookups are too slow, it can affect the overall performance of the site. If you’ve an increasing website, chances are you need more DNS lookups.

Every resource that needs to be downloaded needs a separate DNS lookup. Look at reducing the total number of unique domain requests in a web page.

ALSO READ  Your Ultimate SEO Checklist: 21 Ways to Increase Your Search Traffic

If you’ve a good number of DNS lookups, a good way to go about it is to check which are the ones you need – and the ones you don’t. Do not make the DNS entries expire immediately – otherwise, with a slow server connection, the browser can give up the DNS lookup easily, stating an “Error – Page not found” for the user.

 

Too many Plugins

 

Too many plugins can slow down your site and cause plugin conflicts as well. It may even create unnecessary security issues and in some rare cases, cause the site to crash as well. No need to have as many plugins as you can – it’s a good idea to only get the ones you need and no more.

 

Investing on the Right Images

You need to work on a reduced image size – and the best choice is to go the JPEG way. PNG is a good option as well but many browsers may not support it. BMP’s or TIFF’s are a big no.

Also, you may want to crop the images so that it looks good 0 you don’t really need more of the image than is necessary.

If it sounds complex, you might want to look for a solution like SingleHop, who can do it all for you. Alternatively, if you are a pro, you can just use the Google Developer tools to work around all these, and get a site people would love to visit.

 

If you are still unsure on how to speed up your website download speed – you can always consult with a top SEO Singapore expert like MediaOne. Simply call us at 6789 9852 for a consultation day or night!

About the Author

Tom Koh

Tom is the CEO and Principal Consultant of MediaOne, a leading digital marketing agency. He has consulted for MNCs like Canon, Maybank, Capitaland, SingTel, ST Engineering, WWF, Cambridge University, as well as Government organisations like Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Law, National Galleries, NTUC, e2i, SingHealth. His articles are published and referenced in CNA, Straits Times, MoneyFM, Financial Times, Yahoo! Finance, Hubspot, Zendesk, CIO Advisor.

Share:

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Baidu SEO: Optimising Your Website for Chinese Audiences

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to capture international markets has become essential. When targeting the Chinese market, …

Enterprise SEO: Everything You Need to Know

Are you looking to enhance your online presence and boost organic traffic to your website? If you’re operating on a …

10 Tested SEO-optimised Content Development Techniques

Content development refers to creating or improving material that conveys information to a particular audience. In addition to textual material …

7 Emerging Skills Every SEO Must Master in 2023

7 Emerging Skills Every SEO Must Master in 2023 One thing almost all SEOs can agree on is that SEO …

How to Use Keyword Intent to Maximize Conversion Rate

After keyword research, you’re armed with a list of potential keywords to target.  Let’s say one of the keywords is …

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Leveraging Social Media for Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

You’ve probably heard of social media, and how important it is to businesses and marketers. Chances are, you use one …

PSG Grants: The Complete Guide

How do you kickstart your technology journey with limited resources? The Productivity Solution Grant (PSG) is a great place to …

Is SEO Better Or SEM Better?

I think we can all agree that Google SEO is pretty cool! A lot of people get to enjoy high …

How To Remove A Web Page Without Affecting Overall SEO

Before removing an old page from your website, do you ever stop to think about the potential effect it might …

Toxic Links Threats and Disavows: Complete SEO guide

Your website is only as strong as the backlinks you have. We’re not talking numbers here but quality.  If you …

Social Media

How to Find Influencers to Promote Your Small Business in Singapore (Low Cost)

In today’s digital age, social media influencers have become powerful tools for businesses looking to increase their brand awareness and …

Instagramming Your Way to Success: Tips for Effective Social Media Marketing in the Travel Industry

Social Media has revolutionised how businesses connect with their audience. In the travel industry, where experiences and visuals play a …

The Rise of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Your Travel Planning Agency

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People from all walks of life use social media …

App Marketing on a Budget: Cost-Effective Strategies for Maximum Impact

In today’s digital landscape, app marketing plays a crucial role in driving the success of your mobile application. However, many …

Leveraging Influencers: A Powerful Tool for App Promotion

The digital landscape is continuously evolving, attention is divided among countless apps and platforms, and app promotion has become more …

Technology

The Rise of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Your Travel Planning Agency

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People from all walks of life use social media …

8 Strategies for Bug Hunting: Debugging, Testing, and Code Review

Bugs are among the most unpleasant aspects of the software development process, whether you’ve worked on a little side project …

How Does A Virtual Private Network Work

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a small business owner who’s looking to expand your reach, or an …

Digital Identity Theft: How to Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud

We are always online in this day and age of technology, which makes personal data more exposed than ever. Digital …

The Legal Consequences of Cybersecurity Breaches in Singapore

Technology has advanced greatly in the digital age. It paves the way for a higher risk of cybersecurity breaches. There …

Branding

What Are Virtual Fitting Rooms and How Do They Work? (2023)

Shopping for clothes online can be tricky. It’s difficult to know how something will look and fit without trying it …

Planograms: What They Are and How They’re Used in Visual Merchandising

As a retailer, you know the importance of creating an appealing and organised display of your merchandise. The way you …

PSG Grants: The Complete Guide

How do you kickstart your technology journey with limited resources? The Productivity Solution Grant (PSG) is a great place to …

The Importance of Authenticity in Your Brand Voice Strategy

Most companies are aware of the value of branding. The reputation of a firm may make or break it, after …

Featured Snippet Optimization: Complete Guide In 2022

You’ve probably seen the boxes that pop up at the top of the SERP featuring a summary of an answer …

Business

15 Ways to Remain Empathic While Still Making Deals

Empathy is an essential quality in any negotiation. It allows you to understand the other party’s perspective, build trust and …

10 Prospect Qualification Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Sales

10 Prospect Qualification Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Sales Prospecting is one of the most important aspects of sales. It’s …

How Pros Write Business Proposals To Win New Clients

As a business owner or entrepreneur, one of the most critical skills you need to have is the ability to …

Baidu SEO: Optimising Your Website for Chinese Audiences

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to capture international markets has become essential. When targeting the Chinese market, …

Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs (Free Tools)

Are you one of the entrepreneurs juggling multiple tasks, constantly racing against the clock? Do you often find yourself overwhelmed …

Most viewed Articles

10 Ways to Improve Your E-Commerce SEO

If you want to grow your e-commerce business, you’ve probably thought about SEO (search engine optimization) already. After all, a successful e-commerce SEO strategy can

Other Similar Articles