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Why is it important for the user?
Loading time, or the time it takes for a page on your website to display all of its content, will greatly impact user experience.It is well-known how crucial UX (User Experience) quality is on a website. To learn more about user experience, you can also read our detailed article on the subject.
Indeed, if a user visits a website and experiences a loading time that is too long, they will feel frustrated, and their first instinct will be to leave the site and visit another one.
The first impression must be favorable. According to a study by Google, the ideal loading time is 3 seconds. Beyond this timeframe, Google states that more than half of users (53%) will leave the page that is still loading. By aiming for this target, we ensure that users do not leave the website before even entering it by achieving a fast loading time.
Why is it important for the website owner?
The impact of loading time on conversion rates
This advantage, the conversion rate, which is the percentage of users who take a desired action, such as making a purchase, is directly linked to the quality of the user experience. We have already mentioned that users are becoming increasingly impatient, and if they encounter a loading time that is too long, they will leave the page. This is far from the desired outcome; if the user stays, the chances of them taking the intended action increase. It’s also important to note that a website that loads quickly greatly encourages impulsive purchases; if the desired product or service displays quickly, the user is more likely to act without hesitation and make a purchase. For example, the giant Amazon found that an improvement of 100 milliseconds increased sales by 1%.
The impact of loading time on SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
How to measure the loading time of your website?
Now that we understand what loading time is and why it is highly recommended to focus on this issue, keeping in mind the advantages it provides when it is efficient, it is legitimate to wonder how to measure this loading time on your website. There’s no need to use a stopwatch that you activate when you click on your site’s URL, as there are tools available that allow you to measure loading time along with various other indicators.
- Google – PageSpeed Insights is a free tool provided directly by Google; it is efficient and quick. There’s no need to create an account; simply enter the URL of your choice and click the “Analyze” button. The tool then gives an overall score based on several factors (server response time, CSS resources, etc.) along with suggestions for improving these factors, and it provides results for both desktop and mobile formats.
- GTmetrix works similarly to Google’s tool but offers more detailed information on certain points.
- Pingdom is a paid tool, but it allows you to measure much more than just a website’s loading time (detailed reports, real-time alerts, etc.). However, it is possible to request a free demo to explore Pingdom.
How to improve the loading time of your website?
Optimizing images
Images are an important aspect that should not be underestimated when aiming to improve loading time; if not optimized, they can significantly affect the website’s display process.
- Compress images using compression tools to reduce the file size without compromising quality.
- Choosing the right format is very important. For instance, if transparency is needed, the PNG format is a must; however, for other images, WebP is a modern format that offers excellent quality with minimal file sizes.
- Lazy loading is a deferred loading technique, meaning that the site only loads images when the user scrolls down to the section where they are visible. Otherwise, they do not load.
Minifying code files (CSS, JavaScript, HTML)
Minifying files using tools or scripts is a practice that reduces the size of code files such as CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. This involves eliminating comments, unnecessary whitespace, and shortening variable and function names. As a result, the amount of data transmitted between the server and the user’s web browser is reduced.
Caching
Caching is a type of temporary computer memory for a source (applications, websites, etc.) that allows certain information to be stored directly on the client side. This avoids sending a new request to the server if that resource is needed again. As the resource is already known, loading time is reduced. One technique involves instructing the web browser how long to keep the web resource in cache. Therefore, it is possible to specify how long the web browser should retain the cached resource, extending the caching period. The downside of this technique is that the user must have visited the site at least once for the caching to take effect.
Gzip compression
The use of a CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A CDN (Content Delivery Network) is a network of computers that are geographically close to the user. They handle certain resources, and their proximity ensures that loading is accelerated due to their closeness.
Responsive
Adapting content based on the format in which it will be read is also an important area for improvement. Indeed, content should be automatically adjusted; a format for a computer is not necessarily optimized for mobile devices and may take longer to load.
Three key takeaways:
Why is loading time important?
How can you know if your loading time is optimal?
To do this, tools are available. They will help you determine if your loading time is good or not, and if it isn’t, they will also indicate the causes.
How to improve loading time?
To improve loading time, there are numerous techniques available; however, some are more or less technical to implement. Our web agency can help you implement them!