Do you like to wait in the line? For me, standing in the line for too long may be the reasons to look for another store that does not have this problem. Maybe not surprisingly, but the same situation happens online. But how and why do some Website Load Slowly? Well just keep on reading this article and you will get a clear idea of how Page Loading Speed Can Influence Your Online Business?
The user clicks a link to an online store, trying to purchase a pair of sneakers but the page is loading too slowly. Perhaps it even freezes and crashes, making the browser follow the suit. Clearly, this situation is a little bit frustrating because that’s not the kind of welcome the user expected, so he or she will most likely be looking for the sneakers in others stores.
There, the customer is lost simply because the site was loading too slowly or experienced some technical issues. The company that maintains the site may ignore this problem but not for long because it will have to close due to dramatic sales loss. So, here is a guide to help you know why do some Website Load Slowly and page loading speed impact on your Online business!
Slow Pages Lose Customers
The speed of loading of the website is a significant factor that defines the success of the business because it can drive the visitors away and reduce the conversion rate dramatically. According to one recent Internet study, more than seventy percent of Internet users claimed to encounter a website that was too slow to load and fifty percent said that they expect the website to load in less than three seconds. This translates into millions of frustrated people who visited the website and closed it because it was unresponsive. For business owners, it also means millions of dollars in losses because potential customers were drawn away by technical issues that could be easily eliminated.
According to Internet marketers, just a second delay in page response can result in a seven percent in conversions. For any business, this is a big loss because every customer counts nowadays. The importance of these seven percent can be illustrated by the following example study carried out by Tagman. If a website is generating a daily profit of $100,000, the delay in one second could cost the business nearly $2.5 million in lost customers every year. That’s a lot. If just one second of delay can cause such consequences, imagine what happens with three and five seconds.
For smaller business, the impact is equally comprehensive. For example, Brian from Royal Essays told us that the company was able to increase the conversion rate by more than ten percent when the speed of the site was tested and increased. That’s certainly impressive. The pattern described by the study of Tagman and Brian clearly sends a message saying that slow websites are catastrophic for business. Conversion rates suffer the most and companies lose customers by having slow-loading web pages, which results in lower revenues and poor reputation. Not only among the customers but Google, the one that ranks the sites and allows to find them.
Loading Time Influences the Search Engine Traffic
In early 2010, Google announced that site loading speed would be included as a new element in the search ranking algorithm. This meant that the search engine began to ‘prefer’ the websites that had fast loading speeds because they also provided certain benefits for Google itself, including a better reputation for improved user experience and reduced operating costs. Also, appropriate speeds allowed the company to crawl a website in a more efficient fashion, which is particularly beneficial for many large e-commerce sites that contain hundreds of pages. Therefore, having a slow website does not only hurt your reputation among customers but also in the search ranking. Soon I will be helping you to identify why do some Website Load Slowly and how you can improve your website performance!
Here is an infographic by KissMetric on how page loading speed can affect your Business:
Infographic: https://blog.kissmetrics.com
How to check Why do some Website Load Slowly and improve your website performance?
Now that we know the consequences of the slow-loading site for online business, how can we solve this problem and make sure it does not occur in the future? Fortunately, there are some great tools out there that can explain the performance of the website and the next steps.
WebPageTest
WebPageTest is among the most preferred tools out there. It is an online platform that enables to perform a quick and free website test speed test with an official support of Google. After testing, the tool gives a score from 0 to 100, provides the time of the first view and repeat view, and makes suggestions for specific enhancements for the site owner. For example, the content breakdown provided by the system can be used to identify the type of content that needs to be optimized to increase the loading speed. The platforms like WebPageTest are used by many companies around the world because they show how the sites can be improved for free.
Pagespeed Insights
Pagespeed Insights is another tool that should be looked at because of the great functionality and easiness in using. Similarly, with WebPageTest, it gives a score to the website and provides several categories that highlight specific problems. The user of the platform gets two categories, User Experience and Speed, both for mobile and desktop versions of the site (if available). For example, it can propose to leverage browser caching, eliminate render-blocking JavaScript, or optimize visible content to improve the speed. For user experience, it can recommend using legible font sizes, avoid plugins, or configure the viewport. The site of the tool is very easy to navigate and offers information in a descriptive manner, which should be appreciated even by those without programming or technical background.
Pingdom
Pingdom offers website monitoring service including website speed, uptime and performance. Although this monitoring is not free plans starts from $15/month. But the website also offers a free speed test. Pingdom will analyze your website and offer performance Grades accordingly. It will also identify the type of content that needs to be optimized to increase the loading speed.Pingdom is an excellent and Powerful tool to improve your website Loading speed!
GTmetrix
GTmetrix is another website speed testing tool that you can use. GTmetrix not only provides page speed but also analyze your website for 30 different ways by which your website performance can increase. GTmetrix also generates performance in the form of grades and Yslow grade. Although you can Check your website speed for free but you can also signup for free account and track the history of your reports for upto 5 websites. Or you can pay $15/month to track more URLS hourly monitoring, PDF reports and much more.
Conclusion
The loading speed of the website is the undeniably important element that may define the success of an online business by helping to convert more customers. It is apparent that no one wants to wait for the site to load, so this legitimate request should be fulfilled by the online companies. Try above mentioned tools to find out why do some Website Load Slowly and how you can improve its performance. Moreover, Google needs fast sites to provide to visitors, so pay attention to this aspect and make sure it influences your own business in a good way.
Got some other method to measure your website speed or found some other tool to know why do some Website Load Slowly? Let us know by commenting below!
