The time it takes for the page to load for your website is going to have a huge impact on your consumers’ actions. Nowadays, we live in an instantaneous society where people have low attention spans and prioritize time and convenience over everything else. Think about if you are searching for a product or just general answer on Google. If the first ad copy clicked on takes too long, you are going to leave and find another web page that gives you what you need right away. It is human nature to choose the best alternative and the one that successfully meets your needs and is as efficient as possible.
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Don’t Waste Time
If you chose the web page where the time it takes for the page to load is five minutes, you would be wasting your time. People will not wait for something they could get right away. The web is full of web pages that provide the same information and satisfy customers equally across the board. This is why the time it takes for your page to load on your website plays an integral role in your strategy. The time it takes for the page to load affects your Google ranking, or how high up you will show in the search results.
You Should Be First
Ideally, you want to be the first web page to show up in the SERPs, but that is not possible if your web page load time is not being accounted for and optimized. Understanding the technicalities of web page load time is a little complicated, which is why we are going to describe how to get the time it takes for the page to load in a reasonable range, the reasons why web pages load slowly, and the reasons why some website do not load.
Website Load Time
This is the average time it takes for your page to load its content for users. Website load time should not exceed two seconds. A website longer than such will result in high bounce rates and customer irritation. It could even make your brand seem less credible. In fact, studies have shown that bounce rate will increase significantly by 32% if the load time increases 1-3 seconds longer. That’s right, 1 second longer and your customer is on your competitor’s website instead. Websites are extremely time sensitive and people are not willing to be patient. The web is an extremely competitive marketplace. It has been proven that web pages with better load times have higher conversions and engagement rates, indicating customers are more likely to become brand loyal or recommend your company to a friend.
Web Pages Load Slowly
Web pages load slow when there is particular content and unoptimized components of your web page. Utilizing engaging content is a plus, but not if it is holding up your load time. If this is the case, no one is ever going to experience your content because your bounce rate will be so high. Website load time should be at the top of your list when evaluating your website.
Customers Remember
It is obvious that your structure and content should be appealing, but businesses often forget to emphasize load time. It is a common rookie mistake. You do not want the most memorable part of your website being the web pages load slow. Unfortunately, consumers tend to remember the negatives and will indefinitely perceive your company according to that experience. There are many different components that affect the time it takes for the page to load. Let’s take a look at a few.
Issues with JavaScript
Java is used to make web pages dynamic and even more engaging. JavaScript is a programming language that enables complex features and content to be placed on your web page. Pretty cool, right? It allows you to implement animated graphics, maps, long videos, and more. There is a reason Java is so popular and that is because of its advanced capabilities. At the same time, plugins like Java require a longer amount of time to load, interpret, and execute. Slow-running scripts often get overlooked, onsetting these long load times. To combat this, development teams should consistently audit JavaScript data to get rid of repetitive/slow-running scripts. These hinder the rapidity of your web page’s load time. While JavaScript is a common reason for a long load time, it is not the only one.
Large Amounts of Flash Content
Large amounts of flash content are huge contributors to slow web page load time. Flash content is defined as content that incorporates audio, images, video, and animation. Flash content makes the website more visually appealing and keeps consumers engaged. Content like this tends to be large, which perpetuates these long load times. You will not want to get rid of flash content altogether. For a lot of people, it is what makes the website. There are several options to solve the issue of slow load times associated with flash content. First, you can minimize the size of the content. This is often the preferred solution. The other option is to replace it with HTML alternatives. Both are useful, it just depends on what works best for you and your web page. If you have a lot of flash content, this could be why your load times are suffering.
Unoptimized Images
One of the biggest reasons for slow load times is unoptimized content. Large, high quality images could be the culprit. These large images have a domino effect. They increase the size of the web page and require more bandwidth to load. When uploading an image, it is vital to consider the file format of an image. JPEGs are normally the default format and rightfully so, as they don’t impact loading times as much. PNG and GIF formats are much too big and significantly slow down websites. While these formats are great quality, they also can cause a whole host of issues. PNG and GIF formats should be avoided as often as possible.
“Took Too Long to Respond”
You might find yourself googling, “took too long to respond on Chrome,” when a web page fails to load. You are not alone, many people run into these issues when using Google Chrome or other browsers. The “took too long to respond” Chrome error is common and can be frustrating when it keeps recurring. When you get this error, it means that there is a communication issue between the target server and the client (your web browser). If the web browser cannot get a response within 30 seconds it will generate this error message. The connect attempt is subsequently terminated. Here are some common causes of unresponsive web browsers.
Internet Connection
A web page might fail and produce an error message if the device you are using is not connected to the internet. Whether it be your phone, PC, laptop, iPad, or anything else, this can occur frequently. The first step is to check your Wi-Fi: if you are not connected or it is not working properly, there’s your problem. Sometimes devices will default to hot spots that are not working, meaning you do not have internet connection. Once you establish a solid internet connection, your browser should respond and pull up the web page you want.
Antivirus
Antivirus software also impacts the time it takes for the page to load. Sometimes this affects whether or not it will load at all. Your antivirus might block access to websites, and in some cases, even all of them. While antivirus protection help prevent malware, it is not always practical. Antivirus technology sometimes has a hard time distinguishing safe sites from non-safe sites. Most websites require users to enable cookies, which antivirus software will not allow. In this case, you will have to disable your antivirus and make your own judgement calls on what websites you feel are safe.
Why Do Some Websites Not Load?
The big question of why some websites won’t load isn’t always easy to answer. While a lot of times website load failure can be fixed through simple solutions, it may not always be known. It can be extremely frustrating to not know why your website will not load. Especially if you have gone through several options and cannot pinpoint the cause. Some issues are more technical and require experts like those at SEO Design Chicago to help solve web page load time and support your SEO strategy. At the end of the day, the time it takes for the page to load on your website is going to be imperative to your success.
FAQs
- What affects a Google ranking?
- What is flash content?
- How can you combat long load times with JavaScript?
- What is website load time?
- What is an acceptable website load time?
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