Today regardless of industry, it is well known that successful businesses will want their website to be optimised as much as possible, to deliver the best possible user experience to potential customers. Websites that deliver efficient, fast and enticing content are far more likely to perform better than those which don’t offer these capabilities. As consumers behaviour online continues to evolve and expand, as a business owner it is vital that website speed is not overlooked.

In this article we have a look at how loading speed presents a larger problem than you first may realise, highlighting some of the factors that can hold up the speed of your website.

Fast or Impatient?

Today’s internet user has become quite savvy with higher demands and expectations than previous years. This is largely due to the fact that the internet is in abundance everywhere. Peoples mobile devices allow them to browse multiple sites whilst travelling, sitting at home, waiting in ques etc. Being constantly hooked into wireless networks highlights how vital it is now, more than ever for businesses to attain the very best in capabilities for their website to succeed in the modern era. Today’s consumer has become used to super-fast loading speeds and efficient page browsing, allowing effortless scrolling any time, anywhere. Data shows us that when these features aren’t met, people will either leave your website or even worse never arrive at your website due to the frustration of the sites loading speed. This ultimately results in a high bounce rate, for people who may need your products or services may click on your website for more information, however, leave very shortly after stumbling across your page.

People these days all experience a similar problem, that being time….and a lack of it. If a website takes too long to load people are more likely to think there is a problem with the connection as opposed to a problem your end with inefficient loading speeds. Patience is becoming a lost art, particularly online these days, and the smart phone is encouraging more and more behaviours that would demand a fast website to obtain any interest at all. Simply put, the longer you make your potential customer wait, the more interest they will lose in you and your business.

Scrollers on the web today on average will wait around 3 – 5 seconds before jumping to either another website or app. They may leave to simply test if there is a connection problem in a desire to return, if they should return, they’ll more than likely realise that your site is not loading properly, and the interest will be lost their and then.

Loading Speed Affects Your SEO

Since Google introduced using site speed as a ranking signal in their algorithm back in 2010, business owners have emphasised more efforts in making sure their website doesn’t fall victim to inefficient loading speeds that will defer customers from their business.

Should your website be falling victim to slow and frustrating loading speeds, then it’s definitely time to fine tune your websites infrastructure. Your users will grow in frustration as your website doesn’t meet the standard of rival companies. These sites will win business by not just competing on cost, but simply meeting their online needs. Offering a user-friendly experience saves your customers time and they will leave happy and fulfilled. You want your users to spend more time on your website, not time waiting for pages to load, but by offering super-fast content that engages the customer for more information where they will browse effortlessly through page to page.

Google is aware that referring people to slow and inefficient websites sends the wrong message of what the world’s most powerful search engine is all about. By delivering the speed efficiency and incorporating this into your website shows Google that you’re a top performer. A website who values what the user is telling them, is a business that is looking to improve and evolve with updated, fast and efficient content.

What Can Affect A Website’s Load Speed?

When creating a website there is a lot that goes into the back end of the building and coding stage. It is these areas which people don’t see that takes the time and space. There can be several features that your website may not need, a functionality matter that simply put, your customers may never need.

One of the major factors that affect the speed of your website is ultimately the template in which is chosen to design your site on. These designs are known as a ‘Template website’, or a ‘custom designed website’. These are the two most common types of a website build. The cost varies amongst the industry however a template website will cost notably less than the cost of a custom designed one. Template websites often come with additional features built-in to the theme- these features are actually not integral to your website’s success. With these features comes longer loading speeds, as it takes longer to load these extra features, which results in potential customers being left to wait.

However, creating a custom build website from the very roots allows your new website to be created with the absolute essentials. This results in your website running quicker, as the site doesn’t need to load unnecessary code.

Also, to be considered for loading speed-

• Image sizing – embedding images can help reduce their size and loading times
• Hosting and Content Delivery Networks

A word of caution however, we don’t recommend removing all deemed ‘unnecessary’ features down to nothing to obtain the fastest loading speeds. Alternatively, this comes down to prioritizing what features and functionalities are crucial for creating that ideal user experience on your website. This helps the efficiency of your website run smoother than ever, as your potential customers find what they need in the shortest amount of time.

Conclusion

It is clear to see that websites which are slow loading can influence buyers to lose all interest in your business. They are much more likely to browse other apps or websites or return to Google's search results to run your competitor’s website. Ensuring that your website runs quickly is paramount for aiding potential customers interaction with your business’s website. Additionally, these efforts will improve your Google search ranking as previously explained, this is now one of the criterias that Google embody and rewards websites who encompass this.

If you have any questions or would like to know more information on how you can help increase your websites speed and functionality, then please get in touch we would love to hear from you.