Search engine optimization has significantly evolved over the years. It no longer hinges entirely on keywords or meta tagging. Other variables are at play that impact search marketing. Load time directly affects the ranking of your website. The faster your site loads, the higher up search engines like Google place it in search results. To slash load time, you don’t need to change the setup of your site drastically. You just need to perform a few fundamental alterations.
Optimize Images For the Web
Possible the most significant drain on websites is visuals. Pictures captured by a digital camera or even a smartphone often are several dozens, if not a few hundred megabytes in size. This drags download time as a visitor’s browser must first download the image. To avoid this, it’s necessary to optimize the picture for the Internet. By using an image editing software, it’s possible to reduce the file size down to under 100 KB. All of this can be done within reduce visual quality.
Remove Unnecessary Coding
Over time a website may become bogged down with unnecessary coding. This is a common problem with sites when a professional programer is not consulted, or after a few years as code is added on. Web servers may require you to cut and paste coding underneath the site’s appearance. These codes help do everything from monitor analytics to watching where a user’s cursor is on the screen. It’s best to go into the code editor on the website editor and remove all unnecessary coding. With a stripped down, coding footprint Internet browsers can scan and download the content faster.
Reduce Clutter
The more content on a website the longer it takes to download. To avoid this, there are a handful of tips you can execute. For starters, take advantage of white space. You don’t need colorful backgrounds (or especially video backgrounds). White space isn’t as exciting, but it forces a visitor to focus on the desired point of interest. It also clears out coding and information a browser needs to download.
Additionally, remove unnecessary pictures. If needed, create another page and provide insights into another product or service on this new page. By reducing clutter, the website will load faster, which boosts SEO. Because of the benefits of a minimalist design, many sites are moving to such designs.
By following through with these tips, you’ll reduce load time and improve your search rankings. Combined with local SEO and your business will see a sizable jump in its performance on search engines. Once your site is optimized, make sure it stays up to get the most customers. So now is the time to implement these changes and take your Web performance to the next level.