The time it takes for a page to load is a web performance indicator that directly impacts user engagement and a company’s bottomline. It shows how long it takes for a website to fully load in a window once a user clicks on the link or submits a request.

The time it takes for a page to load will depend on a variety of factors. The speed at which a page loads is influenced by various factors, including the quantity, type, and weight of items on a page, the hosting server, bandwidth in transit, and specifically, the web design in Glasgow.  Other considerations include the user’s location, browser, and device. Now, let’s look at what page loading time is and how it affects SEO rankings.

What Is Website Page Load Time?

Today’s online buyers don’t have to put up with slow websites because they have so many options. If one of your sites does not load quickly enough, your consumer will go on to faster online retailers, and instead of turning those clicks into revenues, you will have offered a poor customer experience.

In fact, a one-second latency in page load time has been found to result in a 7% drop in conversion and an 11% drop in page views. That one-second delay starts to add up to even more than £1 million in lost sales each year for an online shop making £50,000 per day. Learn how to boost your e-commerce sales with our blog post.

In its most basic form, page load time refers to the time it takes for a page to appear on your screen. It’s computed from the beginning (when you click on a page link or write in a Web address) to the end (when you click on a page link or type in a web address) (when the page is fully loaded in the browser). Page load time is divided into two components, which are typically measured in seconds:

  • Browser Time. How long does it take the browser to process and analyse the document and produce the page to interact with the user?
  • Server And Network Time. Depending on the speed of the internet connection and the efficiency with which static assets such as images and other files are delivered.

Various browsers (e.g., Safari vs Internet Explorer), platforms (e.g., mobile vs desktop), and locations can result in various page load speeds for the same web page. If your website is served by a single data center in the United States, but you sell to consumers in Australia and the United Kingdom, for example, those customers are likely to have substantially longer loading times.

browser

However, if your site’s static resources are replicated across multiple data centers worldwide, the page will load from the data center closest to your customers. This can significantly reduce the time it takes for a page to load.

Due to various developer choices like deeper design features, beefier features, and more data on a page, multiple pages on the same site can have drastically varying load times. There are various online tools for calculating typical page load times, so your web development team may prioritise optimising your slowest-loading sites.

How Is Website Page Load Time Measured? 

There are two methods for determining page speed:

  • Page Load Time. The time between the browser delivering the request to the server and the page is entirely loading and rendering is measured in milliseconds.
  • Time To First Byte. This is the time between sending the request to the webserver and receiving the first byte of data in the browser.

It’s always good to have a speedier page, regardless of the strategy you use. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Google assesses a page’s performance as the time to first byte or TTFB.

What Is The Ideal Website Page Loading Time?

While you may be aware of the obvious solution, it does not present you with a target to strive for. Before we go into the speeds you should (and should not) aim for, there’s something you should know: page speed figures are terrible. The same statistics are frequently provided and are dated, despite the fact that technology is far from dated and is constantly improving.

The benchmarks for page load time that many people have been using derive from research by Geoff Kenyon, in which he compares website speed to the rest of the web:

  • If your website loads in 2.9 seconds, it is faster than approximately 50% of the web
  • If your website loads in 5 seconds, it is faster than approximately 25%
  • If your website loads in 0.8 seconds, it is faster than about 94% of the web
  • If your website loads in 1.7 seconds, it is faster than about 75% of the web
  • Visitors read less when slow loading time happens
  • The first delay can lead to a 5% drop in the number of visitors
  • The three delays can lead to an 8% drop

acceptable speed

 

Pingdom also revealed their 2015 results (using their own customers as the source of data), revealing that the average load time for 3Mb web pages was 5 seconds. While Google in 2010 would argue that this is far from quick enough.

Hence, reading the entire article is strongly recommended; it raises a point that we already know: visitors spend less time on websites when page load speeds delay their engagements with the site, making it less appealing.

What Is A Bad Website Page Loading Time And What Causes It?

If sites take longer than 3 seconds to load, 55% of mobile site visits are discarded. A 2-second delay in loading time resulted in up to 88% desertion rates. Besides, a sluggish website might have a negative impact on your Google ranking. And over 3G connections, mobile web pages take an average of 19 seconds to load.

80%

It happens to business owners, bloggers, hobby website developers, and everyone else who maintains a website regularly. Visitors to your website, whether it’s an online store, a blog, or a social media platform, may be asking why it takes so long to load.

The effectiveness of your website is determined by the speed with which it loads. It plays an important influence on the conversion rate and the exposure of your website. As a result, optimising the speed of your website is critical. Still, it may require some effort.

Fortunately, there are several readily available speed tests. Even though there are a variety of reasons why your site may be slow, most of them may be resolved for free. Unfortunately, slow website speed is almost always a cause for trouble.

It’s aggravating for both you and your site’s visitors. Each year, slow-loading websites lose at least 2.6 billion dollars in revenue. Therefore, we’ll look at some of the most prevalent reasons why your site is slow, as well as some potential fixes. Learn how to speed up your site & convert more visitors.

Using Images That Aren’t Optimised For Your Website

Large file sizes with no tags, descriptions, or names are deemed unoptimized; they may cause your website to slow down.

Besides, images created with applications like Photoshop are well-known for being big files. Even if the photographs are of high quality, they can cause your website to load slowly since they contain a lot of information.

Google, on the other hand, is unable to see images. As a result, they normally simply scan alternative tags, leaving you room to include a brief description of the image, but without it, Google will have no idea what your images are.

Checking Website Page Loading Time: Key Metrics

  • Page Load Time. The amount of time it takes for a page’s content to fully show.
  • The time it takes a web or mobile browser to get the first byte of a response from a server when it queries a specific URL is referred to as the Time to First Byte (TTFB).
  • DOM Processing Time. The time it takes to parse HTML into a DOM and obtain or execute scripts is represented by this value.

You are required to have a dependable tool to assess the loading time of a website across numerous devices and browsers. It should immediately provide a complete report with actionable insights on key parameters such as TTFB, Response time, Page load time, and so on.

One such website speed test tool is BrowserStack’s Speed Lab. It enables teams to test the loading time of a website on real desktop and mobile devices, as well as browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.).

To start, testers can use the techniques mentioned below to perform speed tests on real devices and browsers. Nevertheless, in this instance, the number of devices and browsers will be much lower than 3000+.

Is Google Considering Website Speed As A Ranking Factor?

For a website, speed is critical. It is so crucial that Google has made it a ranking factor. Google has taken steps to increase the loading speed of websites over time by offering developers and webmasters a set of tools. Google Lighthouse is one of these tools.

But, exactly, how does Google’s PageSpeed Insights Tool work? What’s more, does loading time have an impact on SEO? The short answer is that loading time does have an impact on SEO. Website loading time is a direct ranking component, as Google’s Algorithm Speed Update has made clear. Speed, on the other hand, can have an indirect impact on rankings by increasing bounce rates and decreasing dwell time.

People are coming first at Google. According to Google’s research, the average 3G loading speed is quite poor. Users depart the website after roughly 3 seconds, according to the data.

This indicates that their user experience is poor, and Google does not favor sites that deliver poor user experiences.

Keep in mind that speed is measured in seconds rather than points from 0 to 100. While PageSpeed Insights is a tool that can help you enhance your site’s speed, the number you get there isn’t always indicative of real-world performance.

Why? We don’t know whether Google’s score is used as a ranking criterion or not. Is Google a fan of seconds? Is the score taken into account? Who can say?

However, you must consider how Google conducts these testing. We have no idea where the tests are conducted. Is your server located in Romania, and Google is testing it through a 3G connection in the United States? As a result, you should expect slow speeds.

Yet, for the sake of the user, place the loading time first. And don’t rely solely on PageSpeed Insights to do so. Stick with me until the finish, and show you a couple of apps for testing the speed with which your site loads from various regions.

How Does Improving Page Speed Scores Affect Your Google Rankings?

page speed insights

Page speed does have an impact on your search engine rankings. There are a few explanations for this, which we’ll go over in more detail below. Still, one of the most crucial reasons that page speeds can affect your results is because it’s widely assumed that Google’s algorithm counts loading time as a significant ranking component. This was first brought to light in 2010 when Google declared page speed to be an essential problem that webmasters should be concerned about.

There are more subtle ways that loading time affects your SEO, and experts have been urgently attempting to teach companies about this for a number of years. It’s because loading time has a number of significant effects on SEO. To begin with, increasing the speed of your website and ensuring that it loads in less than a second or two will almost certainly enhance your conversion rates.

Users will abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load, as previously indicated. This could cost you visitors and increase your bounce rate. When it comes to rating your website, search engines take your bounce rate into account. This is because if a large percentage of users leave your site relatively immediately, it’s evident that it’s not loading properly or providing them with the value they expected, which search engine algorithms take very seriously (after all, that’s what they’re supposed to do).

Simply told, the better your engagement and lower your bounce rates are, the higher your ranking on search engines like Google will be. Not only that but enhancing your website’s loading speed will improve your users’ experience. This, in turn, can help to enhance the amount of time people spend on your pages. We discussed how slow page performance could damage user experience and turn off potential consumers in the introduction, with a stunning 70% of respondents claiming that slow sites would dissuade them from making a purchase.

As a result, it’s critical that your website is user-friendly and provides the greatest possible experience, with load time playing a key role. The more time customers spend on your site, and the more positive their experience is, the higher it will rank in search engines.

How Can You Increase The Speed Of Your Website?

Here are ten short methods for reducing the time it takes for your website to load:

1.     Make The Image Size And Format As Small As Possible.

Your site’s graphics might consume a lot of bandwidth, slowing down the page’s loading speed. Downsizing your website’s photos in HTML is insufficient because it just affects the image’s appearance rather than its size. Use an external image editor, such as Photoshop, to resize the photos and adjust the resolution to 72dpi. Use image optimisation software to further compress the image and minimize its size:

  • SuperGIF
  • it
  • PNG and JPEG Stripper
  • Online Image Optimizer

Stick to standard image formats like JPG, PNG, and GIF for faster website loading.

2.     Reduce Dependencies

Plugins: Sites that need plugins may cause your page to load slowly. Not all plugins are necessary; for instance, social share plugins are now a must-have for any website. However, always investigate to see whether a better option to the plugin exists, such as a CMS with built-in social plugins.

Tracking Scripts: While keeping track of your website’s visitor statistics is important, using different tracking software might slow down page load times. If you’re using a CMS like WordPress, you should either allow WP stats or Google Analytics to run scripts on your page, not both.

Software for Content Management Systems: If you’re using a content management system like WordPress, it’s a good idea to check for updates on a regular basis but don’t install them on a live website. Upgrades should be tested on a different server first. Keeping up with software changes can also help a website run faster.

3.     Avoid Using CSS Files And Inline JS

Keeping your website’s JS and CSS in external files is a good idea. The browser caches these files externally as the page loads, which speeds up subsequent queries. Furthermore, keeping the JS and CSS files outside of the site makes site maintenance easier.

4.     Improving Caching

Your web page’s graphic files, CSS, and Java files load each time a user visits your website, consuming a significant amount of website loading time. Your browser can cache this information or files for further requests if caching is configured appropriately. These files can be downloaded from the cache instead of uploading them from the system on subsequent page loads. This also saves money on traffic and maintenance.

For permanent components of the website, use Expires headers, and for dynamic components, apply Cache-Control headers. The use of these headers enables all of a web’s elements to be cacheable, such as pictures, CSS files, scripts, and flash. As a result, HTTP requests are reduced, and site load times are improved. You may really control the duration that elements of a web page can be stored by using Expires headers.

caching plugins

5.     Don’t Use Redirects

Avoiding redirection improves the speed of service. Some redirections are unavoidable and must be implemented, but keep in mind that this necessitates an additional HTTP request, which increases page load time. Check for broken links and repair them as soon as possible.

6.     Enable G-Zip Encoding

Large files on your site can be packed with something termed the G-Zip Compression, just like files on your PC that are compressed and condensed to lower the overall capacity during online transferring data. This saves traffic and downloading time, as well as reduces the time it takes for your page to load. You should set up the server so that zipped content is returned.

7.     Limit HTTP Requests

Cut down the number of graphics requests by using CSS Sprites. Using the CSS background-image and background-position elements, you can combine multiple background pictures into a single image. Incorporate inline images into your stylesheets that have been cached. Merge all of your javascript files, along with all of your CSS files, into a single file.

8.     CSS And JavaScript Minification

Minification is the practice of condensing code by replacing variables with smaller names, which reduces the length of the code and, as a result, the page loading. For this, uglify.js is suggested.

9.     Reduce The Size Of Cookies

Cookies are used to keep track of information that needs to be remembered between requests. This data is delivered with every request and, if it’s large, contributes to the loading speed. As a result, by limiting the size of the cookies, you can decrease the amount of data transmitted, and the time it takes for the page to load. Remove or minimize the size of cookies that aren’t needed.

What Are The Tools You Need To Put Your Website On The Fast Lane?

Do you have any idea how long your website takes to load? Run the Google PageSpeed test to see how fast your website loads. How long did it take you to complete it? (Scroll down to Lab Data and look at the Speed Index data.) Your site might be in jeopardy if it took more than three seconds to load on a mobile.

Over half of those polled (53%) said they would abandon a website if it took longer than three seconds to display. On a mobile phone, however, it takes a minimum of 22 seconds for a site’s landing page to completely load. That’s a significant drop in traffic, especially since mobile users surpassed desktop users years back.

If you don’t improve your page loading time, your site may fall in search engine rankings and lose a lot of prospective visitors quicker than your social media marketing efforts can bring in. Fortunately, there are a variety of innovations available to assist your website with loading quickly on both mobile and desktop platforms. Below are ten tools:

Pingdom

pingdom

Pingdom examines your website for speed problems that may be decelerating loading speed. You can see where you can grow in terms of uptime and engagements. It’s a good site to begin if you like to make your site run better.

All you need to do is capture your site’s URL and paste it into their web speed test. Choose the server you wish to test it on, ideally the one closest to your location, and then begin the test. The analysis will indicate the efficiency grade, page size, number of requests made, and, most significantly, the website page loading time.

You’ll also get a full analysis of where you may make improvements and what your website’s strong features are. Unfortunately, you only get a few snaps before you need to pay for it.

Google PageSpeed

page speed insights

PageSpeed is Google’s own set of developer tools. It takes your site’s URL and runs a few tests to measure speed and provide feedback to the developer, similar to Pingdom.

The PageSpeed tool displays, among other things, how long a visitor must wait to view the page’s principal content, the time it takes for a page to become dynamic, and the performance index.

Developers may also see precise input on where they can enhance on both desktop and mobile platforms, as previously noted. The benefit of Google PageSpeed is that it is completely free. There is, however, no way to obtain a copy of the reports.

Google Cache Checker

cache checker

Running your website through a Cache Checker is one technique to see if Google has indexed it. It will inform you if Google is aware of your website, if it has been submitted to its index, and, finally, if it has been listed in search results. This useful website testing tool can assist you in optimizing your SEO, particularly if you switch your domain name or hosting provider. In a move, understanding if your site has been crawled is critical.

Besides, it takes 24 to 72 hours for your Domain to be updated, as site developers and SEO managers are aware. During that time, any visitor who visits the site will be forwarded to the most comparable domain in Google’s list. (If your site isn’t in the cache, it won’t be accepted during an outage.)

URL Compression Test

compression test

The URL Compression Test determines whether or not your server sends stored information. It looks for mod gzip or mod deflate compression, as well as any other server dialects that can compress files. Your server will have more space for more info with fewer, compressed files.

Furthermore, your server can send your information over the web more quickly, allowing your site to load better on both desktop and mobile platforms. This is particularly on devices with sluggish connections. In website load tests and page performance test tools, boosting compression might be crucial.

Dotcom-Monitor

dotcom monitor

In terms of website loading time, various browsers and geographies produce varied results. That doesn’t even take into account the location’s and device’s internet speeds. That’s a lot of situations to put through the paces. Fortunately, Dotcom-Monitor is a website that enables you to evaluate a page’s speed in 25 different places at the same time (paid versions).

Enter your site’s URL and mark all the characteristics you want it to test, just like the other page loading tester apps. The test itself may only take a couple of minutes, but it will give data on load times all over the world, which is very useful if your target audience is international.

Tiny PNG

tiny

On websites, images ranging from their emblem to individuals and even infographics are frequent. High-resolution photos, on the other hand, are huge files that slow down the loading of your page and website. That is why your photographs must be optimized for web viewing. Many graphic utilities can shrink a picture’s file size without sacrificing quality. Small PNG is an example.

It uses sophisticated lossy compression algorithms to lower the file size. This implies it deliberately and effectively reduces the number of colors in order to reduce the amount of data required. Although the effect isn’t visible to the naked eye, the reduced image will load faster, thus attracting more visitors.

YSlow

yslow.

YSlow is, without a doubt, the best page speed analysis tool available. It’s an open-source initiative that follows Yahoo’s guidelines for high-performance websites. It searches the DOM (Document Object Model, an HTML application programming interface) for elements, collects data about each item, and utilizes that information to assess each rule.

YSlow also provides a page summary with statistics, optimisation ideas, and more efficient analysis tools. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera are among the prominent web browsers that support it. It’s also available as a Google Chrome addon.

IcoMoon

icomoon

A lighter car carries less weight and accelerates. The same might be said of websites. It can load faster if there is less data. That’s why site designers go to such lengths to optimise even the tiniest of features, like the icon.

IcoMoon is a website icon generator. It may appear insignificant, but it’s an effective instrument that allows you to create pixel-perfect graphics. Designers can also build customized and optimised typefaces. Using lighter icons and fonts will significantly reduce the time it takes for your website to load.

GTmetrix

GTmetrix is a strong website speed improvement tool that you should use to its full potential. It gives you a report on how quickly your website loads, as well as PageSpeed and YSlow scores and other page data.

It also enables you to evaluate your website’s performance to that of other pages, set up alarms, and track your load time. GTmetrix is unique in that it allows you to shoot a video to identify where page-loading bottlenecks occur. It is also available in both free and premium editions.

Chrome DevTools

devtools

Chrome DevTools is one of the most popular tools for identifying issues and testing remedies on a live website. It’s only for Google Chrome browsers and may be accessible by pressing the F12 key on the keyboard.

A new tab appears, displaying CSS and HTML components that you can easily change. You can also look at resources, scripts, and other things to see if there’s a mistake or bug. You may even test speed and device-specific ports by simulating mobile phones.

What Affects Website Loading Time?

According to research, nearly half of web users anticipate a site to load in two seconds or less, and they are more likely to abandon it if it takes longer than three seconds. This may not seem like a huge concern, but 78% of online customers who have problems with site speed say they won’t shop there again, and 45% say they’ll tell their friends about it.

When you think that a one-second lag in page loading might result in a 6% drop in conversion rates, you’re not only missing money, but you’re also losing prospective customers. A single second slowdown in your load time might cost you $250,000 per year if your company earns $10,000 per day. Here are the following factors that affect the loading time of your site.

Speed Of Connection

The speed at which any page loads is directly affected by the sort of internet connection you have. If you’re still on dial-up, no matter how well organised a website is, it’ll just take longer. DSL provides a quicker connection than dial-up, but it isn’t quite as fast as cable. And, no matter how fast a cable connection is, it can’t compare to a fiber optic connection.

File Types And Sizes

In principle, the higher your file sizes are and the more files you have on a website, the longer it will take for the browser to load. While faster connection speeds have allowed larger files to be loaded in less time, it’s still necessary to compress your files as much as it can. To keep your files as little as feasible, minify your code and manage picture types and sizes.

Traffic Volume

A certain volume of data is allocated to several websites. This is the total amount of data transported over a given time period, usually a month. If your website receives a lot of traffic, that’s a positive indication, but if you don’t have a host that can handle it, you risk not only a sluggish site. Also, a full shutdown until your term recovers or you improve your plan.

YouTube itself would spend Google millions of dollars every month if Google paid for bandwidth charges. When you factor in all of their other characteristics, it’s a pretty enormous figure. If you own an e-commerce store, strong traffic is a sign that things are going well. This is an indicator that you have a high conversion rate. Keep an eye on your data usage and be ready to modify it as needed to avoid poor performance.

Browser

The browser you’re using has an impact on how quickly websites load. Due to incompatibility, older browser versions may fail to load some resources and code. You may notice slower page loading rates if you don’t have your browser configured to cache certain data from sites you visit frequently.

Make sure you’re using the most recent version of your preferred browser for optimal outcomes. If you don’t have it set to upgrade regularly, make sure you check for updates regularly to guarantee you’re using the most up-to-date software.

How Do You Fix Slow Loading Time?

If there’s one thing you should know about your website, it’s that speed counts. You will not only deliver a terrible customer experience, but you will also rank lower in the search engines if your site loads slowly.

Fortunately, increasing the speed of your website doesn’t have to be complicated. Besides, the advantages of enhancing your site’s loading speed are definitely worth the effort. We’ll look at three different techniques to speed up your website in the sections below.

1.     Allow Caching

When you visit a website, certain pieces are kept in a cache so that the site can quickly access those portions the next time you come. Instead of downloading every resource, your browser simply needs to download a few of them with caching.

You may significantly increase the loading time of your site for return users by enabling caching. If you’re using a content management system like WordPress, you may use a plugin like W3 Total Cache or W3 Super Cache to enable sitewide caching or caching of certain site parts.

2.     Disable Resource-Hogging Plugins And Add-ons

If you have too many plugins installed on your site, it may be decelerating. You may need a few plugins for your website to function correctly, but possibilities are you can do without some of them, notably if they’re resource hogs.

The simplest method to achieve this is to use a program like GTMetrix or Google Pagespeed Insights to get a baseline test of your loading speed. Then, one by one, disable each plugin on your plugin list. Then, with the plugin turned off, run the speed test again.

3.     Reduce The Size Of Your Code

Your website’s code can become a little jumbled at times. Your site will take substantially longer to load if this occurs. There will be needless line breaks, gaps, and other aspects, whether you’re making many adjustments, utilizing a CMS, or even using a site builder to develop your site.

Hopefully, the suggestions above will aid in the speeding up of your website and the overall user experience.