Lower your website’s loading times!

Aug-11th-2008

By admin in General

One important thing related to your website is the loading times. If your website loads very slowly, then this is going to affect your traffic (Because people don’t like visiting slow websites) and your Rankings on the Search Engines (Because they don’t like slow websites either). That is why you need to make sure that your website loads as quick as possible.

First of all, the amount of images (And the format of the images) can affect the loading times quite a lot. For example, if you’re using 50 - 100 images per page, then people with slow internet connections are going to have trouble viewing your website. That is why you need to keep the number of images to a minimum. Also, you need to make sure that you choose the best type of image format. You should never use BMP image files ever, because they are too big in size. JPG and PNG seem to be the best types, but sometimes JPG can have quite a lot quality, so PNG is recommended.

Second of all, the amount of Javascript used on the webpages can affect too. If you’re using many complex and long scripts on the website, then you’re asking for trouble. Try to keep the amount of Javascript to a very minimum. If the Javascript is just tracking codes (Such as Google Analytics) then you could put the code near the end of the files (Before the end body tag) because this will make sure that the tracking code is executed last, meaning all of your content will load first. This is just one of many small things you could do.

Thirdly, the amount of MySQL used on a webpage can also affect it. If you’re using massive amounts of queries all over the page, then this will slow it down. A static page will load quicker than a page that collects all of its content through MySQL, this is why static pages are recommended where you can use them. The only negative thing about static pages is that it isn’t as easy to edit the pages because you have to upload them again once you’ve edited them.

Fourthly, the coding you actually use on the pages is important. For example, if you’re using a lot of PHP and over-complicating things and maybe using a few while loops, then this will affect it. If you’re using PHP, try to make the coding as light as possible and stay away from queries that are going to take time to run, such as the while loop.

Fifthly, the amounts of files that you include can affect slightly. If you’re going to include files, you really need to include them locally, and not including them from other websites. If you want to display images from another website, what you should do is download the image to your PC and then upload it to your website so you can display it locally. You might have to do this because a lot of sites don’t allow hotlinking so you wouldn’t be able to anyway, but it will lower your websites loading times as well as save bandwidth from the other website.

Sixthly, the amount of advertisements you display on your website will affect loading times. One or two advertisement blocks from Google Adsense or so probably won’t slow it down much, but if you’re using more than that, then you can expect it to run quite slow. I have seen websites that have around 10 advertisement blocks that take ages to load.

Finally, your Web Host can have a giant affect. If the server you’re on is massively overloading and crowded, then your website will run slow. Before you choose Web Hosting, these are the things you need to think about to prevent it from happening. If your website is running very slow and you’ve followed all of the above tips, then it may be your Web Host. If it is your Web Host, you might want to change to a better Web Host that has quick loading times.

In conclusion, your website’s loading times are very important. Nobody likes slow websites, and you will really suffer if your website loads slow. Follow these tips and make sure that your website loads quickly.

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