📱 Your Users Are Very Impatient. 10+ Tips To Speed Up Your Website

10+ Tips To Speed Up Your Website

I’m reading an interesting book about our potential future — The Future of Almost Everything (Patrick Dixon). I paid attention to one interesting statistical fact that the Internet made us very impatient. Most users press the “Back” button in their browser for less than four seconds if the webpage is loading slowly. It means losing up to 90% of clients for four seconds.

In 2025, 90% of young users of the Internet probably will press the “Back” button after less than 1.5 seconds.

I suppose it’s crucially important to have your website working fast. So, let’s consider some techniques I use personally.

Optimize Image Sizes

Ensuring your images are visually appealing without sacrificing loading speed is essential. By compressing image files using tools like online compressors, you can significantly reduce their size while maintaining quality. This optimization technique can result in faster loading times and improved user experience.

Personally, I use TinyPNG online tool. It provides great compression without quality loss.

Enable Browser Caching

Leveraging browser caching allows returning visitors to experience quicker loading speeds. By storing static files like logos, CSS, and images in the browser cache, subsequent page visits can retrieve these elements locally instead of making repeated server requests. Setting appropriate expiration dates ensures updated content is still delivered to users.

As a webserver, I use Apache and apply the caching technique using the .htaccess file. In my case, it looks like this peace of code.

Minify CSS and JavaScript

Streamlining your CSS and JavaScript files by removing unnecessary characters, such as white spaces and comments, helps reduce file sizes. Utilize online tools or task runners like Gulp or Grunt to automate the minification process during the development phase. Smaller file sizes contribute to faster loading and rendering times.

As online tools, you can use minify-js.com, jscompress.com or csscompressor.com.

Reduce HTTP Requests

Each HTTP request adds overhead to your website’s loading time. To minimize this impact, consider consolidating multiple CSS and JavaScript files into a single file wherever possible. By reducing the number of requests, you can significantly improve the overall speed and performance of your website.

Another great way is using CDNs (Content Delivery Networks). Implementing a CDN distributes your website’s static files across servers worldwide, enabling faster content delivery based on user location. By using services like Cloudflare or Amazon CloudFront, you can reduce latency and improve loading speed, creating a seamless experience for visitors across the globe.

Enable GZIP Compression

Enabling GZIP compression on your web server allows files to be compressed before being sent to the browser. This compression technique reduces file sizes, resulting in faster transfer times. Configuring GZIP compression is a straightforward process that can have a significant impact on your website’s loading speed.

Use this online tool to check if your website is already using GZIP compression. If not, read this article to understand how to enable this technique for Apache and Nginx web servers.

Lazy Load Images and Videos

Implementing lazy loading for images and videos ensures that only the content visible to users initially loads. As visitors scroll down the page, additional media files are loaded, reducing the initial load time. This technique is particularly effective for websites with image-heavy or multimedia-rich content.

Here, on Bloduct, I use Lazysizes. It’s SEO-friendly and self-initializing.

Web Hosting Provider

Choosing a reputable web hosting provider is crucial for optimal website speed and availability. Look for providers known for their fast servers, scalable infrastructure, and server caching. A reliable hosting environment ensures your website loads quickly, even during peak traffic periods.

Database

If your website relies on a database, optimizing your queries can greatly enhance performance. Utilize indexes on frequently queried columns, minimize unnecessary joins, and optimize complex queries. Regularly analyzing your database performance helps identify bottlenecks and fine-tune query execution for faster response times.

Server’s Responsiveness

Enhancing your server’s responsiveness is vital for user experience. Optimize your server-side code and configurations to minimize response time. Caching mechanisms like Memcached or Redis can store frequently accessed data, reducing the load on your server and improving overall performance.

HTTP/2 Protocol

Upgrade your website to use the HTTP/2 protocol, which allows for faster and more efficient communication between browsers and servers. HTTP/2 supports multiplexing, meaning multiple requests can be sent and received simultaneously, reducing latency and improving overall loading speed.

Excessive Redirects

Excessive redirects can add unnecessary round trips and increase loading time. Regularly audit your website to identify and minimize the number of redirects. Each redirect should be critically evaluated to ensure it’s necessary and serves a valid purpose.

Above-the-Fold Content

Prioritize the loading of above-the-fold content (read more here), the portion of the webpage visible without scrolling. By optimizing the critical content that users see first, you can create the illusion of a faster loading experience, even if the entire page is still loading in the background.

Async JavaScript

Implement asynchronous loading for JavaScript files to prevent them from blocking the rendering of the rest of the page. By placing JavaScript files at the bottom of the HTML document or using the “async” attribute, you allow the page to load and render while the scripts are being fetched and executed.

What’s More?

Website performance is not a one-time task; it requires continuous monitoring and optimization. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to regularly assess your website’s speed and identify areas for improvement. Stay up to date with best practices and make necessary adjustments to maintain optimal performance over time 😉