SEO has been in the news these days. Given the advancement within the digital marketing industry, search engine optimization is now gaining more traction. It is now more important and useful than ever. Provided that businesses want to improve their search engine rankings, they hire SEO specialists to get the job done.
Page speed optimization is one of the major aspects that SEO specialists focus on. It has been an important portion of the jobs they perform. However, this subject is complex and technical yet interesting. This article will serve as a complete guide over page speed optimization.
Why is page speed optimization important?
The speed in which a particular webpage loads has a very major impact on the businesses’ ability to engage with potential customers. There are many researches which shows that only a second delay can result into fewer page views, lower conversion rates and ultimately, decreases the rate of customer satisfaction.
Most of the consumers on the Internet expect that a webpage load within 2 seconds or even less. In fact, if the webpage takes a longer time to load, a lot of customers will abandon it. This can be a major downfall for a business, especially a new one.
Further, it is pertinent to note that Google now even takes into account the speed when the rankings are done. Therefore, the speed is directly proportional to rank of your website. If you want to ensure that you webpage remains visible online and has a better ranking, it is imperative to optimize the page speed.
Why can the website be slow?
There are many reasons a website can be slow. From the sizes of image on these pages to load time of servers, there is a plethora of reasons. One of the major reasons why the page might load slow is due to a poor webhosting service. Such services provide cost effective solutions, however, are can be detrimental to you in the long run. Further, there is a misconception amongst individuals that a lot of functionality and features on the website will make the customers happy. This is not the case. If you flood the webpage with numerable widgets, plug-ins and other features, it can very heavily impact the performance of your website. Inclusion of excessive external services and advertisements can further decrease the loading time.
How to optimize page speed?
Naturally, the most important question follows – how to optimize page speed? Although you can take a WordPress page speed optimization course, following are some of the effective ways to do so:
1. Decrease the HTTP requests
Most of the web page loading time is spent to essentially download different components such as scripts and images. Each component is made up of HTTP request. Therefore, more components you use, the longer time it will take to load the page. Use different tools to determine the quantity of HTTP requests your website makes at a given point in time. Reducing these requests will automatically enhance the load time.
2. Decrease the response time for server
The time that DNS look requires is a major factor in the loading time of a particular webpage. Domain name system is essentially a server which contains a comprehensive database of all the IP addresses. Once the customer enters the URL, that URL is translated into IP address by a DNS server. This means that it is imperative to find a fast DNS provider.
3. Go for appropriate hosting options
Unfortunately, a lot of people only go for cheaper hosting options, just to save some money. This can be a major mistake in the long run. There are many different types of hosting option such as Dedicated hosting, Shared hosting and VPS hosting. You need to understand the utility and functionality of each hosting option and choose the one which suits your needs the most.
4. Do not use excessive plug-ins on the website
As discussed above, using a lot of plug-ins can be detrimental to the page speed. Although it can add more functionality to websites, it develops a number of security problems and even cause potential crashes. Further, maintaining them can be a big hassle. Therefore, only use those plug-ins which are essential in nature.
Improve the Core Web Vitals
The Core Web Vitals can further have a major impact on the page speed. It essentially combines three essential performance metrics – the quality of visual loading, how interactive a page is and the stability in terms of visuals when the page loads for users. Improving on these metrics can help the load time to improve.
This can be done in multiple ways. From reserving memory for images to load into to optimization of the main activity by reducing longer tasks, there are many activities to undertake for improving Core Web Vitals. You can ensure that the key page templates that are being used are mobile-friendly. Provided that mobile traffic is growing in this day and age, it is imperative to focus on mobile optimization. Further, websites and web pages must be audited on periodical basis to figure out any potential issues. This will ensure a smooth running of the website.
Metrics to look forward to
Page speed optimization is all about metrics. Further, if you want to ensure that your website has an optimal online presence, then following are some of the metrics that are important when it comes to Google rankings:
- Back links;
- Depth of content;
- User experience;
- Accuracy of content;
- Mobile friendliness
Emphasizing on these metrics and developing your strategy accordingly will enable to achieve better digital visibility.
The bottom line
Above is a guide on how to optimize webpage speeds. However, in order to achieve positive results, it is important to follow a clear and effective strategy on a consistent basis. The results may come slow. Therefore, keep on integrating the above-mentioned steps in your speed optimization strategy for fruitful, effective and efficient results.
