Grab and hold the attention
How long are you willing to wait for a website to load? And did you know that the loading speed of a website has a major influence on online findability? To make optimal use of your online presence, your website must be fast and clear.
Research has shown that the average human attention span has decreased by as much as 40% in a period of ten years! The time you get to grab and hold the attention of a website visitor is therefore precious and is getting smaller by day. Every second of extra loading time significantly lowers conversion, page views and customer satisfaction. Did you know that search engines like Google even rank slow websites lower in the search results?
The most used (and therefore obvious) elements on a website can already have a huge influence on the loading time. For example, think of the use of photos, videos and fonts. Almost every website uses photos and/or videos. Beautiful images and videos attract the attention of the visitor and have a major influence on the appearance of a web page. However, often these images and movie files are used without considering the size of these files. The larger (read: heavier) a file, the longer the loading time.
Using the right file formats and compressing (reducing) files that are too large are crucial to create and maintain a website quickly and efficiently.
Fonts and Variations
The use of different fonts (read: fonts) and variations (bold, italic, etc.) can also have a negative effect on the loading time of a web page. Varying fonts can enhance the look of a page, but making a balanced choice between appearance and functionality is desirable.
When you opt for webhosting, you rent a piece of space on a server where your website (all separate files) is stored. This server is connected to the internet 24 hours a day and ensures that the page is always accessible to visitors. There are a lot of parties that offer web hosting as a service and it is important that you make the right choice(s). For example, one web host will provide a faster connection than another because the server is located in the Netherlands and not on the other side of the world. This also affects the speed of your website.
Caching
Caching is the temporary storage of data (images, movies and other files on the internet) on a faster medium to reduce future loading time. When you visit a website, a copy of this page is stored on your hard drive. On any subsequent visits, this webpage will not be loaded from the internet, but from the hard drive. This is faster and can significantly reduce loading time. Therefore, make sure that caching is enabled at your web host.
In addition to a beautiful appearance, the speed of your website is extremely important if you want to attract and retain the attention of visitors. The smallest changes make the biggest difference and can lead to better conversions and more jobs. Choose the right web hosting and do not immediately go for the lowest price. When your website is regularly updated, it is important to check it once in a while to see if the speed still meets today’s standards.
