Clicking on a website should be simple, right? One-click and the website loads, hopefully quickly. Then, you find the information you need to book a service, buy an item, or move on. However, not all website speeds are created equal—and slower websites may feel the effect.
Slow websites can cost your business thousands of visitors and conversions. For example, surveys and online behavior analysis suggest that customers on e-commerce sites will only wait about 3 seconds for a site to load before abandoning their carts. Thankfully, there are actions you can take to increase website speed and make the experience better for each and every customer. But first, you need to know what’s killing your website speed.
8 Reasons For Slow Website Speed (And How to Fix It)
1. Server performance and location
Every website load starts with the server. To avoid getting too technical, think about it this way: when someone clicks on your site it’s as if they are pinging the server. This alert is basically asking for all the information and data about your website, so it can load it up for this user. If you have a low-quality server or your server is far away from the user, website speeds may suffer.
2. Excessive traffic
Let’s say you’re running a major promotion and have it advertised everywhere. If your site visits increase dramatically and your server isn’t equipped to handle them, your website speeds may suffer. Kind of like a slowdown on a major highway, everyone will eventually make it through, it just may take more time than anyone would hope.
3. Large images
Large images are the worst for slowing down site speed unknowingly. However, they are also one of the easiest things to fix. Large, heavy items—like images—take longer for the server to load up. Optimizing your images for similar quality but smaller file size can help you avoid this issue.
4. Lots of code
If you’re a developer or you worked with the person building your website initially, you know that there’s a lot of code (HTML, CSS, Javascript, or the like) behind your front-end website. If your backend is loaded down with lots of unnecessary coding, the server will have to read it and your site speed could take a hit.
5. Text graphics
Are you using graphics to showcase text onsite? Graphics take a lot longer to load compared to a simple font. If you want to improve site speed, consider replacing these text images with inline text.
6. Lots of plugins
Have you installed a lot of plugins and extra features on your WordPress site? Behind each one is a decent amount of coding that your server must read upon each click. If you have excess plugins that aren’t used often, reconsider if having them installed is worth slowing down your site.
7. Unnecessary redirects
Redirects help you in the case of a changing URL. It’s nice because you can send users who have the old link to the new page with no trouble. However, having lots of redirects can slow down your site because the server must read it twice.
8. An outdated CMS
Whether you’re using WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or another content management system (CMS), you’ll need to maintain it. CMS platforms create updates for a reason and when they arise it’s best to install them ASAP.
Ready to Increase Site Speed? Call Beyond Blue Media Near Fort Collins, CO
Is your website incredibly slow? Need an update? At Beyond Blue Media, we offer website design services in Fort Collins and beyond. Our team can provide your business with the opportunity to adjust your current site structure and improve speeds. We love helping local Colorado companies in a variety of industries—HVAC, plumbing, construction, franchise, restaurant, real estate, restoration, and more—build fast websites that convert.
Our team is skilled in website design, backend development, and logo creation to give your digital presence the best look and functionality available. Call Beyond Blue Media today at 970-691-6149 or fill out our online contact form—we’ll be in touch soon!
Located in Fort Collins, Beyond Blue Media expands beyond our doorstep to offer website design and digital marketing services across Northern Colorado. Our service areas include Fort Collins, Loveland, Ault, Greeley, Denver, Windsor, Boulder, and Longmont.
