What are the Techniques for Website Speed Optimisation?

Author: Chris Walker

The loading time of a website is the first thing that the audience will notice. When it comes to good user experience, low website speed is the first thing that can turn your visitors off. High-performance websites get lower bounce rates, better engagement, high return visits and conversions, better user experience and ranks in the search engines. Slow websites will mar your reputation in the digital world. By minimising the page loading time, you can have a positive impact on the overall performance of the website along with qualified leads and higher traffic. Here is how you are going to boost website performance.

Shift website to a better host

Shared hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated server are the three common types of hosting amongst which shared hosting is the most popular. You need to choose a fast web host for better speed optimisation. In this hosting, CPU, disk space and RAM are shared with other servers which is why it is not as fast as other host servers. With VPS, you can enjoy your share without affecting other clients. This is an optimal solution for those entrepreneurs who have e-commerce websites. If you want your physical server, you can opt for the dedicated server.

Minimise the anumber of plugins

Plugins are common elements of a website. The more plugins are added, the more resources are required to operate them. As a result, the website runs slower and different security issues surface. It is advisable to check all the plugins and delete the unnecessary ones. To know which plugins are not useful, seek help from experts working in SEO firm in Bradford. They run the performance test to find out the plugins slowing down the website.

Reduce the number of CSS files and JavaScript

Your visitors will get a lot of HTTP requests to access a specific file if your website contains CSS files and JavaScript. These requests slower the website speed. Try to group all CSS files and JavaScript into one, reducing the overall number of HTTP requests. You can also take help from professionals who know the tools to minify CSS, JavaScript and HTML files quickly.

Incorporate Gzip Compression

Why not implement Gzip Compression in your website? It is a brilliant way to reduce the files’ size. It not only compresses the files but also minimises the HTTP requests and lowers the server response time. When a browser receives the file, it unzips it and shows the content.

Detect 404 errors

A 404 error signifies that a "Page is not found" which a host shows to the search engines or browsers when a page no longer exists. A wide array of tools and plugins are available to detect a 404 error. Once detected, try to access the traffic that they bring. If these dead links bring no visit, you may leave them as they are. But, if these pages still have traffic, use redirects for external links and fix the link address for internal ones.

Reduce web fonts

In website design, web fonts have become quite popular. Unfortunately, its usage hurts the website’s loading speed. As this adds extra HTTP requests to external resources, the specialists use the following steps to reduce the size of web fonts.

  • Use of modern formats for advanced browsers;
  • Implement those characters that are used on the website;
  • Pick the needed styles only

    • Use content delivery network

    Content delivery network (CDN) is a set of servers spread throughout different locations that bestow web content to end-users with respect to their locations. When a website has a single server, every user request goes to the same hardware. For this, the time increases to process all the requests. Additionally, the loading speed increases when a user is far away from the server physically. With the help of CDN, the nearest server receives all the user request. As an outcome, the content is delivered quicker and the website works faster.

    Follow these tips and optimise the loading time.

    Nhance Digital is a reputable SEO firm in Bradford that offers digital marketing and search engine optimisation solutions to various businesses. The company has clients from all over the UK, North America and Europe.