Why Website Speed Matters
If your website takes too long to load, visitors will bounce and head to your competitor. Studies show a one-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% conversion rate drop.
Optimising your website for speed
- Image Optimisation: Images are often the biggest culprits behind slow loading times. Use tools to compress image size without sacrificing quality. Consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver images faster to visitors in different locations.
- Caching: Caching stores frequently accessed website elements, allowing them to load faster for returning visitors. Utilise a caching plugin to significantly improve website speed. The caching plugin you use will depend on your choice of hosting; some hosts have their own caching plugins which are highly optimised to the environment.
- Minimise Plugins: While plugins offer great functionality, they can also slow down your website. Regularly review your installed plugins and deactivate or delete any that are not actively used.
- Choose a Reliable Hosting Provider: Your website hosting provider plays a crucial role in website speed. Consider upgrading to a hosting plan optimised for WordPress performance. BBI can help with your WordPress hosting needs, covering WordPress hosting as well as hosting suited for other content management systems.
- Minify Code: Minification removes unnecessary characters and formatting from your website's code, resulting in smaller file sizes and faster loading times. Plugins can automate this process.
Pro Tip: Use a website speed test tool to measure your website's loading speed before and after implementing optimisation strategies.