If a website takes longer than a couple of seconds to load then most online visitors lose interest. Additionally, Google considers it a ranking element because it values a positive user experience.
Consequently, having a fast-loading website is crucial in addition to having quality online design and content. Otherwise, you can say goodbye to a sizeable portion of your conversions and traffic.
You can find out if your website is slow by measuring the time it takes for your website to load. The PageSpeed Insight app can help you with this.
Thereafter, you can start looking for causes if the loading time of your website is longer than 2 or 4 seconds. In this post, we have listed down a few potential causes of why your website is slow.
10 Causes for A Slow Website and Methods to Fix It
1. Choose a trustworthy web hosting solution
The process of improving website speed starts long before you create a website. Applying any of the strategies described below is just as important as finding a trustworthy web hosting provider. It acts as your internet presence’s framework. Because of this, relying on a low-cost hosting provider is not the greatest choice for your website.
The secret is to pick a reputable web hosting company that provides a scalable, safe, and quick hosting service.
2. Choose a server that is local
Let us comprehend this instance with an example. When a visitor located in the USA accesses a website in the USA that is hosted on an Indian server, the browser must first load the website, then it must travel a considerable distance back to the user’s device. Naturally, the website would load more slowly the more away you are.
Setting up websites using local servers is the key to this issue. In other words, a USA visitor should access a website that is housed on a USA server.
3. Image and videos optimization
Uploading photos that unnecessarily add weight to your web page is one of the primary causes of a slow website loading time. According to research, unoptimized pictures may take up to 68% of the weight of the entire website.
Inserting downsized, high-resolution pictures lengthens the time it takes for a website to load by using more bandwidth. Always verify your file size to avoid this issue, and aim to keep it under 1 MB. It is also important to take into account the image format because a large formatted image will take longer to load. Instead of using the PNG or GIF format, choose an image format like jpeg.
4. Do not use flash content
You would want your website visitors to have an interesting experience as a business owner. User experience can be improved by using flash content to create visualizations, animations, web page elements, and other interactive content. However, it is most likely that the website will become slower and bulkier.
Lower the file size of such content or completely try to replace it with HTML alternatives to give your visitor a great experience and a quick page load.
5. Improve Javascript
We all favor engaging and well-designed websites as internet users.
JavaScript is a piece of computer code that enhances a website’s usability and makes it more engaging for visitors. If left unoptimized, it may however contribute to a poor loading performance. promoting JavaScript that blocks rendering.
JavaScript that renders blocks a page slows down a website by preventing it from fully loading. Delaying the loading of JavaScript until the user can see the rest of the page’s content is a suggested remedy for render-blocking JavaScript.
6. Do not leave unimproved CSS
Like Javascript, CSS is a language that you may use to style the pages of your eCommerce website. However, if the CSS is not optimized for a while, it may prevent other components from being seen while browsing, which will slow down the pace at which a website loads. Combine many external files into one, or combine a few of them together to prevent this.
7. Choose a CDN (Content Delivery System) service
A CDN is a standalone setup made up of numerous servers based in various regions. Storing duplicate copies of your site on various servers, aids with superior performance and accessibility so users from distant areas can still access your site effortlessly.
Although using a CDN is not a compulsion, it does improve the user experience, specifically if you have users from all over the world.
8. Avoid unnecessary HTTP requests
Utilizing multiple CSS, Javascript, and picture files result in a lot of HTTP requests, which makes your website bulkier and slows down page loading. In this instance, the browser will notify the server with multiple requests if a large number of visitors visit your page at once. Your site would therefore become slower as a result.
The solution is to reduce CSS, Javascript, and other picture files on your website.
9. Reduce Ads
Ads are a fantastic way to increase visitors to a website. Too many advertisements, such as interstitials, pop-ups, and other automatic downloads, might cause your website to experience a backlog of HTTP requests.
Utilizing advertising only where they are necessary is one way to preserve a positive user experience without impacting the flow of purchases on your website.
10. Improve your server
Increased website traffic translates to more users. However, in certain circumstances, it can cause the website to load more slowly because the hosting server might only be able to handle so many requests at once. A higher request volume indicates that the page will load more slowly, which will damage your traffic.
Using caching and CDN, as well as upgrading your server, are some solutions to this issue.
Conclusion
The user experience of a website closely relates to how quickly it loads. Therefore, unless you’re willing to sacrifice prospective visitors and sales, improving the performance of your website’s loading should be your top concern.
Start by considering the causes listed above to determine the main reason your site is loading slowly. After that, take your time repairing each one.
Host.co.in offers web hosting solutions that are top quality that comes with great uptime and superior loading speed. We ensure that your website loads swiftly. With our hosting solution, you will not have to worry about a slow website, therefore, allowing you to enhance your business.