Today’s fast moving pace and notoriously short attention spans require speed nearly above all else. Having slow website speed can quickly deter viewers from your site, cause them to lose patience, and seek services or solutions elsewhere. Your website’s speed does not only affect the page’s loading time, but also issues that may revolve around scripts, fonts, or plugins.
A variety of things can cause slow speeds on your website. Non-optimized images drag out the loading time. Another possibility is render-blocking JavaScript or CSS. Incorrectly configured Content Delivery Networks also hinder optimal speeds.
A few terms to know before you get started:
TTFB (Time to First Byte) means the time between your browser making the request from the server to the browser receiving information from it.
Page load time refers to how long it takes for the web page to completely load. This includes all CSS, image files, and Javascript, everything required to allow full interaction from the user.
Page rendering time on the other hand is the time it takes for the web page to be ready for any interaction. Some parts of the page may load slower, such as slideshows or images, but the user is still able to interact with the other aspects of the page.
A few helpful services:
Speedtest provides mobile apps or Android, iOS, and Windows cell phones, as well as the usual online services, so that you can measure your device’s connections as well. Once you get your speed results, you can take a look at your service’s performance history and then compare it to locations close by or across the world.
TestMy is a trusty service that has been around since 1996. As an independent third party, TestMy is committed to providing you with an accurate speed. It logs test results, tests internet speeds, and tests your upload speed. Additionally it provides testing tools on Android and iOS devices.
Pingdom splits your results into four categories: performance grade, requests, load time, and page size. The overview helps you to detect the areas most in need of optimizing.
GTmetrix is very detailed, providing information about page speed and yslow scores, recommendations for improvement, details about page load, and in-progress updates for how any changes you make affect the speed.
Remember that whatever scores you come up with should primarily be used as a guide. Some optimizations can reduce your speed score despite having improved the load time or have other incompatibility issues that result in display flaws. The tests are most useful during the process of working to optimize your site. Testing between different improvements can give you a feel for what works best. Remember to clear your cache before and between tests!
