Ways To Reduce The Page Loading Time Of Your Website

Research has shown that any average Smartphone user will abandon a website if it fails to load within 3 seconds; 75% Internet users vouch for the claim of never returning to a web page that does not load within 4 seconds; and with the latest up-gradations to its algorithms, Google now gives considerable importance to the page-loading time to rank the website on its SERPs. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that faster a website loads, the better are its chances of survival in the stiff competition.

Understanding The Basics Of Page Loading Time

The time taken by a website to load is directly proportional to the capacity of the host server to upload the page. Greater number of HTTP requests often result in the slackening of speed. HTTP requests generally consist of the following:

• The loading of CSS styled sheets.

• Loading images.

• Loading scripts.

• Loading HTML.

Another factor that plays a major role in the page loading time is the size of the individual images and files that have been used. Large images with high resolution increase the loading time by ten times compared to normal images, while large files drastically lengthen the process.

A website that loads quickly is an efficient one. This can be achieved by making several adjustments to the layout, images, and overall coding of the website.

There are several tools that can be used to track the page loading speed. Some of these are Yahoo’s Yslow, and Google’s Page Speed Insight. Here are some ways in which the loading time of a web page can be minimized to a major extent.

Step 1: Compress The Images

Compressing all images for a web-based quality is the primary step to quicken the process. This can be done by using the Page Speed plugin by Google, as this program has a default image-compressor. Compressed version of the images can be saved in a local folder on the desktop, following which the images can be reloaded in lieu of the compressed images.

Step 2: Scale The Images

Following the first step, it is important to scale the images to ensure that they fit properly into the layout of the website. By doing this, designers can greatly facilitate in quickening the page loading time, as a pre-scaled image will not necessitate the server to size it down before display. Designers can use Photoshop for this purpose, and adjust the pixel dimension of the images to match the HTML code.

Step 3: Utilizing The Browser Caching Is a Good Option

The cache page of a browser can be used to store the cached version of various static resources. This has a positive effect on the website’s loading time, and reduces the possibility of delay.

Step 4: Images Can Be Combined Into CSS Sprites

Another way of improving the time taken to load a web page is to combine images into CSS Sprites in order to reduce the number of individual pictures on every individual page. A CSS Sprite is simply a bigger image that is composed of many smaller ones. For instance, the upload time can be greatly improved by combining five different images into a sprite, as it is easier for the server to load one image as compared to five different images.

Step 5: By Deferring The JavaScript From Parsing, It Is Possible To Improve The Speed

In cases where the JavaScript is placed towards the top of the HTML document, there is a problem with the process of page rendering, and this can lengthen the loading time to a great extent. Therefore, to defer the parsing of the JavaScript, it is wiser to place them at the bottom of the HTML document.

The parsing can also be avoided by using the “defer” attribute of the HTML code.

Step 6: Minimize HTML, JavaScript, and CSS

HTML, JavaScript, and CSS can be minimized and compressed to improve the speed. Among the various resources available on the Internet for the purpose, minifier is the best of the lot.

Minor changes can decrease the page loading time by almost half of what it generally takes. This can greatly improve the overall ranking. Moreover, it also helps to decrease bounce rates and improve conversion rates.