7 Things You Need to Know About Improve Page Load Speed

Nicholas Amundson

September 6, 2020
9 min read

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Faster loading of pages increases the performance of your website.

It increases the scores of Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix. Better ranking in search results. All of this and much more can be yours after reading our seven full-proof SEO methods to boost page load speed.

Have you known the story of the turtle and the hare?

Do you remember the one where a slow, steady turtle wins a race over an arrogant, fast rabbit?

Alright, this is a lie. Going slow has never got anybody fast anywhere. It is all common sense and profitable business.

Alright, you have got us.

Perhaps some things will benefit from the lag, such as eating, getting old, and going down steep stairs while carrying swords.

However, when it comes to SEO, there is nothing worse than a slowdown.

So hold on tight, because it is going to be a high-speed drive to higher rankings.

Why Is Website Speed Important?

Would you prefer to wait more than two days to receive your package, send a letter in the mail instead of sending a text message, or move your thumb while waiting for the website to load?

Of course not.

Who has got enough time for this?

Indeed not Google and all other search engines available, not to mention its visitors.

We live in an instant gratification world, and only a second delay in page answer will lead to:

And with each second increased, the numbers get scarier:

Bounce Rate Increases 103% After Just One Second Delay.
40% will leave a site that will take longer than 3 seconds to load.
79% of consumers who are disappointed with the site's speed are less likely to buy again.
44% of them are going to tell their friends about the terrible experience.

If you want to stay up at night worried about customer satisfaction, see a complete picture of the effect of slow site speed:

Scary, huh?

But how well is your site going to stack up? Let us find out about it.

How Do I Measure the Page Load Time of the Website?

Many online benchmarking tools calculate how quickly the web pages are loaded.

They will also display the size and amount of resources on your website that includes recommendations for improvement. Greatest of all, they are free to use.

They shall include:

Google PageSpeed Insights: Run separate tests for mobile devices and computers, segregating load time to different levels.
GTmetrix: gives an overview of page loading time, size, and resource allocation along with YSlow.
Pingdom: service close to that of GTmetrix.
WebPageTest: less helpful than others, but no less informative. Of note are its advanced options, which consider the output of a website in a variety of browsers.
Think Google Mobile Tester: a mobile-specific version of PageSpeed Insights. It includes additional data, such as comparisons between competitors and impacts on the conversion rate.

When performing these tests, choose the test locations nearest to where the audience is physically based, which will provide the most relevant results.

Now that you know how quickly your pages are loading let us see whether you are clocking in good time.

What Is a Good Load Time For a Website?

As a rule of thumb, your web pages should be fully loaded in 3 seconds or less, with average pages beginning to load between 1 and 2.5 seconds.

If your website’s speed is between 3 and 5 seconds, it will not be the end of the world, but your sites will have lower performance than the latest mobile device requirements.

Anything over 5 seconds is considered to be evil.

But no matter how hard your site goes, you can still use a boost of vitamin B, figuratively speaking, of course (Do not try inserting vitamins in the ports of the USB).

You should also pay careful attention to the first-byte time of your article, or the TTFB (PageSpeed Insights and WebPageTest display this info).

TTFB is the time that browsers wait to receive the first byte of data from the server.

Google is suggesting a TTFB of 200ms or less.

Here’s more insight into the purposes of loading time:

Pingdom observed that most web pages are loaded on average in just 3.21 seconds.
Specifically, on mobile devices, Google reports that 53% of users are waiting for their phones to load for just 3 seconds.
Akamai found that the average mobile page loading time of 2.4 seconds reached the best conversion rates.

But how do you increase the page load time to reach an ideal of 3 seconds or less?

How to Boost Loading Time on the Website?

Several factors affect the page load time. Like all in SEO, they are faced with a process.

Some methods can be applied instantly and have an immediate effect. Others are going to take time and tests to reap the benefits.

Here’s a list of the best methods:

Enable Gzip compression
Optimize images
Enable browser cache
Minimize HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Reduce HTTP requests
Reduces server response time
Consider implementing a CDN

1. Enable Gzip Compression

Compression reduces the size of files on your website, making uploading easier.

It is one of the simplest and quickest ways to boost page load times.

Using Gzip for compression is the default method, while Brotli is another known method.

When enabled, Gzip will reduce HTML, CSS, and JavaScript by up to 70%.

Most WordPress performance plugins have the option to allow compression automatically.

You can also manually enable compression by adding some code to your .htaccess file for those who practice more or use a different CMS.

2. Optimize Images

Some of the most common culprits that add to the size of a large page are images.

As a general rule, the images should be optimized and sized as follows:

With image compression, there is a loss of quality, so do not let the quality of your website’s aesthetics ruin your need for speed.

But at least, if your site is 600px wide, do not upload a 2500px high image.

Optimize images before uploading with photo editing software such as Photoshop (paid) or GIMP (free).

You can also use an online optimizer like TinyJPG for more compression.

3. Enable the Cache Browser

Each time a visitor returns to your site, the browser re-downloads files such as photos, scripts, and style sheets.

This is unless you have the browser caching allowed.

Static files are stored in the visitor’s browser with the web cache.

As a result, the next time they visit the site, there is no need to download everything again, because everything will be loaded much faster.

It is convenient if you are using WordPress caching.

Plugins like W3 Total Cache and WP Rocket will guide you every step of the way and practically configure it for you.

Only make sure you only use one of these plugins at a time. Manual caching is a little more complicated.

4. Minimize The Use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Minification removes unnecessary or redundant code without impacting performance.

This includes deleting code comments, spaces, long function names, etc. Everything is invisible to the user but weighs down your page load time.

WordPress plugins such as WP Rocket, WP-Minify, or W3 Total Cache are the perfect way for inexperienced web developers to achieve minimization.

You may need to do manual minimization for other advanced CMS and administrators. Some tools that can help include:

5. Reduce HTTP Requests

It is a significant concern and it could get complicated.

But do not let that scare you. Reducing page requests is the holy grail of optimizing page loading. (The number of HTTP requests must be kept below 50).

There are several methods to optimize and speed up these queries.

6. Reduce Server Response Time

Changing servers is not something you are expected to do quickly or on the go.

But the hosting system plays a crucial role in loading time, so it is essential to know if it has the best configuration.

Above all, check with your provider to ensure that their servers have sufficient uptime, have enough resources, and are located near your target audience.

Otherwise, it might be time to consider changing to another hosting service.

7. Consider Implementing A CDN

Content delivery networks (CDNs) are ideal for websites covering several international locations or looking for a further speed increase.

These paid third-party providers not only support HTTP/2 but dramatically reduce request times by storing your files on a vast network of global servers.

Some of the notable CDN choices include:

Not all websites require a CDN (despite what GTmetrix tell you), so we advise that you first implement the other list methods.

If the page load time lags later, consider the CDN as a viable alternative.

Page Load Time is More Essential Than Ever Before

In case you have not known that today, Google is focused on mobile devices.

And soon, you will not be alive. This is why it is so essential that your pages are loaded as quickly as possible.

Let us be frank with you.

We have all got a short attention span, and we are dwindling by the second.

If your page does not load quickly enough, there are a lot of cat videos out there.

Then what are you waiting for? Time is the root of it.

Start implementing these page speed and experience improvements today. Since SERPs (like cats) do not wait for anyone.