Website performance should be your top priority this year, because the competition is tough on the interwebs. Google and other search engines want to present only the best websites to their users in search results. When search engine bots crawl over a page, they assess how it is optimized to welcome visitors.
Since it contributes to the user experience, web designers and business owners should pay special attention to website performance this year. In 2017, it is going to be all about great user experiences. You need to pay attention to the stats, because 50% people will tell others if they have a negative experience on your website.
Let’s take a look at the steps you can take to run a killer website this year:
Minimize HTTP requests:
The end user response time is mostly covered by the website frontend. A lot of time is wasted on downloading stylesheets, javascript, Flash, Webfonts, etc. When you figure out a way to minimize these requests, you can improve the performance of your website. It is the duty of designers and web developers to keep website response times in mind when creating a product for the website. CSS Sprites, Image maps and Inline images should be considered when designing a website.
Minimize redirects:
Webmasters are redirecting URLs all the time. Be it Javascript or META redirects, it is happening constantly. Sometimes a redirect takes a user from an old page to a new page, and at other times its just used to guide users to the correct page. Each one of these redirects creates an additional HTTP request, that adds to the round trip time (RTT). The more redirects your website has, the more time a user will take to get to the destination.
Minimize DNS lookups:
Yahoo! Developer Network Blog states that it takes about 120 milliseconds for a DNS to resolve the IP address of a host name or a domain name. The browser cannot do anything until that request is forwarded or received. When you split these components across two or four hostnames, you can decrease the number of DNS lookups and allow higher parallel downloads.
Choose a good web host:
Your web hosting is not directly related to website performance, but in the future you may feel that your website is clogged with too many other websites on a server, and is slowing down. For this reason, you should pick the best web host from the beginning.
If you already have a web host, you can switch it as well. It is because the hosting account is the foundation on which your website is built. You need to make sure you are handing over your website to a trusted service that can take care of the security, accessibility and customer service efficiently. It will be even more fruitful to have an SEO audit that can track down any issues in your incoming traffic demographics. Consult with this SEO audit checklist to get a better diagnosis.
Reduce the number of third-party plugins:
It is completely possible that the plugins on your website are increasing load times. If you use WordPress, you should minimize the use of these third-party plugins. Plugins have resources that depend on additional requests from the main theme of the website. The best way forward is to test the plugin on the production server before installing it on the website.
Image optimization:
The faster we move into this year, the more we see visual content getting popular. People are loving short videos and cool images, so websites try to increase their viewership by producing more visual content.
It eventually slows down the website, as heavy files make the system lag. The best practice in this regard is to upload compressed images from the very start. According to a 2016 report from HTTP Archive, on average, 64 percent of a website’s page weight is made up of images. – HTTP Archive
So, there you go. It is more than necessary to compress images before you post them. Use any of the following tools to optimize your website content and compress it:
- TinyPNG
- io
- JPEGmini
- ImageAlpha
Use a content delivery network (CDN)
If you are still not familiar with a content delivery network, now is your chance to learn about it. A content delivery network is a system of servers which are positioned all over the globe. They make data access easy.
These edged servers have cached copies of their content. This content can be retrieved from the nearest location upon request. It enhances website performance by reducing load time. 79% of sites don’t use a recognized CDN. (A “recognized CDN” refers to any CDN listed in the extensive directory of CDNs maintained by WebPagetest.)
It is a scalable and functional option for website owners. You should consult a good CDN provider by performing thorough research in the field. Ask other people who are using a CDN and then finalize a service based upon your need. You can implement a CDN on almost any platform. For more information and tutorials, visit the following resources and tools:
- WordPress Integration
- WordPress CRM integration
- CMS integration
- Google Cloud storage CDN integration
- Custom CDN integration
Caching:
Cache is a hardware or software component that stores data to serve it quickly the next time it is requested. You have to manage the browser cache for assets which hardly change in the website. In such cases, you should have a maximum of 7 days to store the cache. The different types of HTTP headers are:
- Cache-control
- Expires
- Validators
By controlling the cache lifespan, you can improve website performance.
Keep monitoring:
Even after a thorough optimization process, you must keep monitoring each page. Website administrators can do this by keeping an eye on every website component and fixing any issues that arise in the process.
If there is an error, related people can be notified and an alert can be issued. Today’s internet trends are changing rapidly, and you may have to consider 24/7 monitoring if you wish to have solid website performance.
Invest in a security plan as well as a disaster recovery plan to secure your website data in emergencies. Frequent testing of pages is also going to be a major help if you aim to be a step ahead of your competitors. Overall, these steps will guarantee that your company website or personal website is improving and adapting to the frequent technology changes of this year.
AUTHOR BIO
ABOUT Erica Silva
Erica Silva is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs.
Find her on Twitter:@ericadsilva1