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Tip 1 – website speed

What makes for a successful website? There are actually lots of factors that contribute to a successful website but we are going to give you 8 tips over the next few days that will get you thinking about how you can improve your site. Keep your eye out for your tip each day!

Google is obsessed with speed! Did you know that Google includes website speed in their search ranking algorithms? Website speed reflects how quickly a website responds to web requests.

Speeding up websites is important — not just to site owners, but to all Internet users. Faster sites create happy visitors who will stay on your site longer.  When a site responds slowly, your visitors will be gone faster than you can click your fingers.  Faster sites don’t just improve user experience; recent data shows that improving site speed also reduces operating costs.

Two to four seconds is the maximum length of time an average person will wait for a web page to load before getting fed up and leaving the site. When shopping online, poor site performance came in second to high product prices & shipping costs as the leading factors for dissatisfaction among online shoppers. (Research by Akamai and JupiterResearch)

So what factors can affect your website speed?

1. Image size

If your images are too big, they will cause your pages to open very slowly. It is very important to check the format of your images (some formats are larger than others) and have all your images resized so that they aren’t slowing the website down.

2. Plug ins and modules

There are so many fantastic modules and plug ins that you can use for your site these days but there are also lots of dodgy ones that could be affecting the overall performance of your site. Not all plug ins are created equal and many have untested bugs.

3. Database

Your MySQL database may be having some slow ‘queries’ if your databases are very large. It is recommended to optimize your databases through phpMyAdmin but this is definitely one for your developer if you do not have knowledge in this area.

4. Server

If your website is loading slowly, this could be caused by a high load on the server. This happens when the server doesn’t have enough power to keep up with the amount of requests it is receiving. This results in the server load going up, and pages will open slower. This is a great example of ‘cheap is definitely not better’ and it may be time to upgrade or move hosting companies. I could go on and on for hours about hosting companies but this isn’t the time or place!

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These are just some of the issues that may be affecting your website speed. Unless you are reasonably ‘techy’ when it comes to websites, my advice would be to get your developer to have a good look at your site and sort out any issues including image resizing so that your website speed is good.

HotsWots is a website design and development business with personal customer service that encompasses cutting edge design with technical expertise and an understanding of online marketing & SEO. If you want to check the speed of your website, we will do a FREE speed test for you. Contact us at https://www.hotswots.com

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Judith Shuttleworth

Judith Shuttleworth is the owner of HotsWots Digital and a Director of Open House ID, an app for real estate agents. We have a range of expertise in all aspects of digital marketing and provide personal customer service. Your success is our motivation.

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