Things to Know – Speed -Up and Secure Your Website

One of the most significant determinants of good user experience on your website is the page loading speed. Visitors to your site will leave if the pages load slowly. You depend on the traffic you get for leads and possible conversions. We will look at what you can do to speed up your website in our article below.

 

1. Choose Good Web Host Provider

Your web host plays a significant role in the performance of your website. You have the option of shared, VPS, and dedicated servers. Shared hosting may slow down your page loading speed when there is high traffic. VPS gives you access to dedicated parts of a server, while dedicated hosting gives you full control of your server. The last option is the best if you want more storage space and page loading speed, although it may be a bit more expensive.

 

2. Use A Reliable CMS

The right content management system (CMS) will impact on the performance and functionality of your website. You have many options available, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, among others. Do your research so that you understand the pros and cons of each. Once you decide on your preferred platform, run the updates regularly so that you benefit from upgrades.

 

3. Minimize HTTP Requests

Different elements make up a web page such as style sheets, images, scripts, among others. Each component comes with its HTTP request every time you want to load a page. Minimize your HTTP request by setting a benchmark by figuring out how many requests your site will make. You can get this function under the browser developers on Google Chrome. Reduce the number of requests by checking if there are any unnecessary ones.

 

4. Minify CSS And Javascript Files

CSS, HTML, and JavaScript determine how your website looks. They also contribute to the number of HTTP requests. You should reduce file size via minifying. The process allows you to remove unnecessary code, white space, or formatting. Combining some files will also give you fewer files. You can, for example, combine JavaScript and CSS files into one.

 

5. Enable SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate will give secure encryption between the browser and the server. You get security for your website, and your online visitors can trust the information will remain secure. A Wildcard SSL certificate will provide encryption, thus protection for multiple wildcard domains and its subdomains, making it cost-effective and easier to manage.

 

 

6. Fix Broken Links

Broken links are a sure way to lose visitors to your website, and they also use up quite a bit of bandwidth. Tools such as Google webmaster and Ahrefs will help you identify such so that you can fix them immediately.

 

 

7. Defer Javascript Loading

Deferring large files means you keep them from loading until other smaller files load. You ensure faster efficiency through the process.

 

 

8. Optimize Your Database

Optimizing your database requires that you are careful about what can increase the size of your website. Some plugins, for example, are very heavy and will make your site slower. Your CMS may also store information such as blog posts or comments that take up a lot of data. Website builders such as WordPress have plugins you can use to optimize your database, such as the WP-Optimize.

 

 

9. Use a caching plugin

A caching plugin will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to load a page. Depending on your web builder, you may need to install them, while others come inbuilt.

 

 

10. Enable compression

Compressing files will make them smaller, thus allowing them to load faster. Tools such as Gzip, which most browsers support, will compress your files before sending them. You can increase your page loading speed by up to 70%.

 

 

11. Enable browser caching

Every time you visit any website, the page elements remain in your temporary storage or hard drive cache. It improves the browser experience by not having to send the HTTP requests every time you visit that particular site. Enabling caching will provide a good user experience for your visitors due to faster page loading speeds. Avoid enabling cache on a shared server because it will slow down your page loading speed.

 

 

12. Reducing Your Redirects

Redirects on your website will lead to delays as your browser tries to reach the correct page. Every time you see a 301 error, know that this is a problem you are facing. You can also use some online tools to spot such redirects, thereby giving you a chance to correct them.

 

 

13. Reduce Image Sizes

Large images will impact your page loading speed, yet they are an essential component of many websites. Compress large images or crop them to reduce their size. Some plugins will allow you to resize your pictures to a pre-set maximum size automatically.

 

 

14. Use CDN (Content Delivery Network)

Every time someone visits your website, it sends a request for the pages they want, and all these go to one server. High traffic equals more requests, which results in slow page loading speed. How far you are from the server will also have an effect. Content delivery network CDN allows you to cash your website on a global server network. It reroutes requests from your site to the server closest to you. It eliminates latency issues and loading lags, and you can increase your page loading speeds by up to 51%.

 

 

15. Optimize CSS Delivery

Your website page style requirements lie in the CSS. Your website will get the information from the external files that will need to load before your page. The information may also be within the HTML document itself. CSS in an external spreadsheet will give you clearer code, and fewer HTTP requests. Take the time to combine external CSS files because each page will impact on the page loading speed.

 

 

16. Remove Unwanted Plugins

It may be tempting to download as many plugins as possible because you think they will help with the functionality of the website. The reality is that too many of them can slow down your side. Delete any plugin that you are no longer using and only download what you need.

 

 

17. Monitor mobile page speed

Keep an eye on your page speed at all times. It allows you to arrest any issues that may impact the page loading speed, whether on mobile or desktop. Online tools such as Test My Site from Google can help with this task.

 

Final Thoughts

Use our tips above to ensure fast page loading speeds on your website.