Website optimization is a long process that requires time and dedication. It involves a number of tools and advanced strategies that can help you improve your site’s SEO, page speed, and mobile usability.
First, start with a basic website audit. This will help you identify any performance issues and fix them. Make sure that your pages load in 90+ seconds and use domestic servers whenever possible.
Page load time
Page load time is one of the most important metrics to monitor for your website. A slow loading web page can lead to poor user experience, which can result in lost traffic and revenue. Additionally, page speed is a factor in search engine rankings.
The process of calculating the page load time begins when a visitor makes a request to your server. This request may include a search query or a click on a link. The server then processes the request and sends a response to the browser, which then renders the page content in the browser window.
A high page load time can be caused by a variety of factors. These factors can include slow servers, large image file sizes, third-party scripts, and JavaScript. The browser’s CPU processing power also impacts page load time. Use a CPU timeline or a waterfall visualization in a tool like DebugBear or Chrome’s DevTools to see what is causing delay and what steps you can take to improve performance.
The best way to reduce page load time is by minimizing the number of HTTP requests made to the server. This can be done by implementing CSS and JavaScript minification, which reduces file size by eliminating unnecessary characters and comments. In addition, it is important to minimize the number of resources loaded on a webpage. You can do this by using priority hints to indicate which resources should be loaded first, and by loading them asynchronously with the async HTML attribute.
Time to first byte (TTFB)
Time to first byte (TTFB) is a key website performance metric, because it determines how long it takes for users to see the start of your page. While this metric isn’t as accurate as other website speed metrics, it’s still a useful tool for identifying problems with your web server.
TTFB is heavily dependent on the network, so it’s important to understand how it’s affected by different factors. For example, if a user is visiting your site from a mobile phone with slow Wi-Fi connectivity, this will affect the TTFB. Additionally, if you use multiple third-party scripts or don’t cache the first response on the server, this will also increase the TTFB.
Another problem with TTFB is that it doesn’t take into account DNS latency, which can add up to a second or more to the load time of your website. This is why other metrics, such as Lazy Loading and Latency-Centered Pacing, are gaining popularity.
There are a few ways to reduce your TTFB, such as combining external CSS and JavaScript files, using a content delivery network, and keeping your server software up-to-date. However, some of the biggest factors that impact TTFB are out of your control, such as high web traffic and dynamic content. In these cases, you should focus on optimizing your website for a better user experience.
Server response time
Server response time is a critical factor in page speed, and it has a direct impact on user experience. It is the elapsed time between when a web browser makes a request for a web page and when it receives the first byte of feedback from the server. A website with a slow server response time will have a poor user experience, which can lead to high bounce rates.
Server response times can vary depending on the configuration of a website, as well as its resource utilization and the network connection between it and the server. Some things that can reduce server response times include optimizing JavaScript and CSS files, ensuring that the database is not overloaded, and using a CDN for geographic positioning.
A website’s page loading speed is a crucial factor for SEO and user experience. It is estimated that 40% of visitors will leave a website that takes more than three seconds to load, and Google has stated that page speed is one of the factors it considers when ranking websites.
A faster server response time will help your visitors feel more comfortable, and it will also boost the performance of all other site assets. There are many ways to improve a server response time, including using caching, minifying scripts, and reducing the number of requests.
Caching
Caching is a common technique for improving website performance and reducing server load. It involves storing frequently accessed data in memory, which makes it easier to access later without requiring additional requests from the server. This allows you to improve performance and reduce costs without having to upgrade your server hardware. Caching can also help you analyze the results of content changes that you make to your site.
Whenever someone visits your website, their browser sends a request to your hosting server. This server then responds with the HTML file that will display your website on the visitor’s computer. But this process isn’t entirely efficient. It requires a lot of bandwidth to send and receive these requests.
With caching, the browser will check to see if there is a copy of that file on the user’s machine. If the file isn’t in the cache, it will send a request to your server. If the server has a version of the file in the cache, it will return that file to the browser.
The best part about caching is that it can be used for a wide variety of files, including images, logos, javascript, and stylesheets. These are files that are typically large and rarely change, so they’re ideal candidates for caching. This helps you lower Time to First Byte and deliver a better experience for your visitors.