Website page speed is a critical factor for both user experience and SEO performance. With the increasing competition for online attention, users expect fast, seamless browsing experiences which allow them to complete their action quickly. Slow-loading websites can lead to higher bounce rates, lower conversion rates, and even a drop in search engine rankings. Our article outlines best practices for improving website page speed, helping you boost user engagement and rank higher in search results.
Why website page speed matters
Before diving into the practices, it’s important to understand why page speed matters.
Google has confirmed that site speed is a ranking factor for search results, and a faster website tends to have lower bounce rates, improved user engagement, and higher conversion rates. In fact, 47% of users expect a web page to load in two seconds or less, and 40% will leave a page that takes more than three seconds to load.
Improving your site speed is not just about meeting user expectations but also enhancing your SEO efforts and driving more traffic to your website. Here are some key ways in which you can optimise page speed.
Optimising images
Large, unoptimised images are one of the most common culprits behind slow website load times. They can consume a lot of bandwidth, especially if they’re high-resolution images that aren’t being served in the most efficient file format. Using tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to reduce image file sizes without sacrificing quality is quick and easy. When compressing files, JPEG is ideal for photos, while PNG is better for images with transparent backgrounds. For vector graphics, you can also consider using SVG files.
Minimise HTTP requests
Each element on a web page, such as images, scripts, and stylesheets, requires an HTTP request. The more requests your website has to make, the longer it will take to load. Minimising these requests can significantly improve page speed.
Best practices:
- Combine CSS and JavaScript files: Consolidate your CSS and JavaScript files into single files to reduce the number of HTTP requests
- Use CSS sprites: Combine multiple images into one file to reduce the number of image requests
- Lazy load assets: Use lazy loading for images and videos, which means they only load when they come into the user’s viewport, not on page load
Leverage browser caching
Caching allows elements of your website to be stored in a user’s browser, meaning they don’t need to be downloaded again on subsequent visits. This can result in faster loading times for returning visitors.
BY setting cache expiration dates, you can define how long specific resources should be cached. For example, you can set static assets like images or CSS files to be cached for weeks or even months.
Enable compression
Compression reduces the size of your web pages, making them faster to load. Gzip is the most commonly used compression method and can drastically reduce the size of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML
Minifying refers to the process of removing unnecessary characters from your website’s code, such as spaces, comments, and line breaks, without affecting the functionality. This reduces the size of your files and can significantly improve page speed. Using tools like UglifyJS, CSSNano, or online services can minify your code, whilst tools like HTMLMinifier can help reduce the size of your HTML files.
Avoid inline JavaScript and CSS: Inline code can increase the size of the initial page load. Move these assets to external files.
Optimise your website’s code
Improperly structured or overly complex code can slow down your website’s performance. Simplifying and optimising your website’s code can make a significant difference. This includes cleaning up your code by removing unused CSS and JavaScript, using tools like PurifyCSS or UnCSS to identify and eliminate redundant code and using asynchronous loading.
Optimise your web hosting
Your hosting provider and the server’s performance play a major role in your website’s page speed as a slow server can significantly drag down your site’s load times, even if everything else is optimised.
Consider upgrading to VPS or dedicated hosting: Shared hosting can often result in slower speeds due to other websites consuming resources. A VPS or dedicated hosting option gives your website more control and faster performance..
Monitor performance regularly
Website speed is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. Regular monitoring is essential to ensure that your site remains optimised as you make updates or add new content. By using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and Pingdom you can test your website’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
Page speed is an important factor in SEO rankings because it directly affects user experience, site crawlability, and mobile performance. Google considers fast-loading websites to provide a better user experience, which can lead to higher rankings in search results. If your site is slow, users are more likely to bounce, which increases your bounce rate and signals to Google that your site isn’t providing the best experience. Furthermore, slow sites may be harder for search engines to crawl and index, affecting how well your pages rank.
Key points:
- Improved user experience: Faster sites lead to lower bounce rates and higher user engagement, which can improve rankings
- Mobile-first indexing: Google uses the mobile version of your site for ranking, so speed on mobile is critical
- Core Web Vitals: Metrics like LCP, FID, and CLS are part of Google’s ranking algorithm, which means faster sites with better Core Web Vitals rank higher
- Crawlability: Faster websites are easier for search engines to crawl and index, which can improve visibility
