Web Tips & Articles
Factors that Influence Page Speed on the Internet
Don't we all cringe, and swiftly click
away, from websites that take forever to show up on our screens! The
World-Wide-Wait is often caused by inexperienced web designers who construct
websites in various manners that make the site take forever to download.
A well-designed site will avoid the pitfalls of slow downloads.
The speed at which websites download from the Internet is dependent on the following factors:
Web Design
- Design of the web page - number of graphics and their size, use of frames and tables, responsive design
- Size of the web page - overall length of pages content and coding combined
- Content Management System - how efficiently your CMS renders and if the CMS uses a caching plugin
- Note: having validated, compliant html/css coding on your website will allow your browser to render the page much more quickly
Your Browsing History
- Whether or not you have ever accessed the site before. If you have accessed it recently, the files may be in your cache and the site will load more quickly the second and subsequent times.
- How full your web browser cache is - you may need to clear your cache if you've set it to only reserve a small amount of space.
- How your browser is set up.
Your Computer Configuration and Settings
- How much memory you have on your computer's motherboard/cards - the more RAM the better.
- The size of your network buffer - most overlooked setting, have your IT staff review the settings.
- How fragmented the data on your hard drive is - you may need to run a defrag program.
- The number of programs you have running simultaneously while downloading. Running multiple programs hogs valuable RAM space.
- Cookies should be cleared regularly (bi-weekly or monthly) to help reduce the load on your browser thus slowing down your performance.
The Network Used to Access the Site
- Speed of your connection to the Internet - your cable/wireless/satellite/DSL access speed.
- Quality of your telephone/broadband line - bad quality results in slower transmissions.
- Access speed on the server where the site is hosted - if the site is hosted on a busy server, it may slow down access speed.
- How much traffic there is to the site at the same time you are trying to access it.
- The load on the overall network at your ISP - how busy it is.
Any or all of the above can slow download time. Web designers only have control over the first two items!
Limitations of Your Computer
There are also other ways you can improve your speeds, here are a few:
- Consistently update your software so you're using the latest web browser and operating system versions.
- Reformatting your hard drive: Although technical in nature, by reloading your operating system and software, you will be able to get rid of unnecessary files that linger around your computer slowing things down.
- Change your ISP: Some providers oversell their services. As a result, they simply cannot supply their users with data speeds required by modern day web activities. Before you take the plunge to get a new ISP, make sure you read reviews about them and ask your colleagues and friends for recommendation.
- It may be time for an upgrade! Buy a new computer! Up to date software programs take up more resources and it is quite possible that your current hardware simply cannot keep up to date with the current standards.
Great Tools to Test your Site Speed
Resources
If you are unhappy with the download speed of your current website, or
would like to develop a new website that avoids the slow download pitfalls, contact the web developers at Yakindo
Web Designs.