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Loading speed matters because when your site loads slowly you’ll not only provide a poor user experience, but you’ll also rank lower in the search engines. Also it can put potential customers off of buying through your site or readers from viewing your articles and information.Try the following options to improve the page loading speed.
- Enable Caching: By turning on caching you can considerably improve your site’s loading for return visitors. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress you can install a plugin like W3 Total Cache or W3 Super Cache, either of which will let you enable sitewide caching, or caching of certain site elements.
- Remove Resources: Hogging Plugins and Add-ons: Too many plugins make your site slow but also it increases the risk of security. You might require a handful of plugins for your site to function the way you like. The best way to do this is to get a baseline test of your loading speed via a tool like GTMetrix or Google Pagespeed Insights. Then, go down your plugin list and deactivate one plugin at a time. Then, run the speed test with the plugin deactivated.
- Reduce the size of your images: If your site has lots of images that aren’t optimized, then this will negatively impact your site’s loading speed. By having oversized images you’ll be requiring the browser to load larger files. Before you upload images, first run them through a tool called Tiny PNG to reduce the file size of your image, without sacrificing the quality.
- Minimize your code: your website’s code can get a little bit messy. When this happens your site will take much longer to load. When you’re making a lot of customizations, using a CMS, or even using a website builder to create your site there will be unnecessary line breaks, spaces, and other elements that don’t need to be there. It’s also a good idea to minify your CSS and Javascript files as well. Even having all of your CSS and Javascript files in one place, instead of multiple different files, will help to speed things along.
A slow-loading website can lead to poor user experience, higher bounce rates, and lower search engine rankings. Here are some steps you can take to fix a slow-loading website:
- Optimize images: Large images can slow down your website’s loading speed. Optimize your images by compressing them or using a smaller file format without compromising on quality.
- Minimize HTTP requests: Too many HTTP requests can slow down your website’s loading speed. Minimize HTTP requests by combining multiple files, reducing the use of plugins, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
- Use a caching plugin: A caching plugin can help to improve your website’s loading speed by caching your pages and delivering them faster to your visitors.
- Enable browser caching: Enable browser caching to allow your visitors’ browsers to store your website’s files, reducing the time it takes to load your website on subsequent visits.
- Minimize CSS and JavaScript files: Minimize your website’s CSS and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary code, comments, and formatting.
- Optimize server response time: Optimize your server response time by choosing a reliable hosting provider and minimizing the use of server-side scripts.
- Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN can help to improve your website’s loading speed by delivering your content from multiple servers around the world, reducing the time it takes for your visitors to access your website.
By taking these steps to fix a slow-loading website, you can improve your website’s user experience, increase engagement, and boost your search engine(Digital Marketing) rankings.