How important is your web host and what should you look for in a provider?

The web host is an essential ingredient in the recipe for success for any website. A good web host will provide support and help when you need it, be knowledgeable and experienced, and go the extra mile to ensure your website is up and running smoothly. A bad web host, on the other hand, can make even the most well-designed website crumble. Choosing a web host is not a decision to be made lightly - do your research and be sure to select a provider that will support you and your website.

Is the long Time To First Byte (TTFB) down to a bad host?

Quite often the TTFB is affected by scripts running on your site and is not always an indication of the hosting server being slow. We often see poorly optimised sites or sites with offsite or bad scripts running and slowing down that TTFB, sometimes causing seconds of delays before the page even starts displaying for the visitor. The placement of scripts and loading of external components can be critical to the load times of your pages. Using tools such as GTMetrix can help you identify areas to improve your page load times.

What are some of the best ways to optimise your website for page speed?

When it comes to website optimisation, there are a number of different factors to consider. Of course, you want your site to look its best, but you also need to make sure that it loads quickly and efficiently. After all, no one wants to wait around for a slow website. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can optimise your site for speed. If you know you have a fast hosting solution such as Asset ICT then one of the simplest and most effective methods is to reduce the number of off-site scripts that your site relies on. These scripts can often bog down the loading process by waiting for external servers to supply the content requested, so by cutting back on them, you can speed up your site significantly.

In addition, a key tip, is to take advantage of caching. This will decrease the number of times your pages need to be reloaded, speeding up the overall loading process. When pages are cached, they are stored in memory so that they can be accessed more quickly. As a result, your pages will load faster and your visitors will have a better experience overall.

When we analyse web sites for optimisation we will check through many different things to see what is impacting the load times. Then we can work through step by step making the gains we can based on what is critical to the client for the purpose and operation of their site.

What are some of the most common causes of slow page speeds and how can you avoid them?

One of the most common causes of slow page speeds is image size. Large image files can take a long time to load, particularly on mobile devices with slower data connections. To avoid this problem, it is important to optimise images for the web by reducing the file size while preserving quality. Another common cause of slow page speeds is bad scripts. If a script is not properly coded, it can bog down the page and make it difficult to load. To avoid this problem, it is important to use well-coded scripts from reputable sources. By following these tips, you can help ensure that your pages load quickly and efficiently.

How does your website's load time affect your business or blog's success?

In today's fast-paced world, visitors to your website or blog expect pages to load quickly and smoothly. If they don't, they're likely to click away in frustration and may never come back. In fact, studies have shown that even a one-second delay in page load time can have a significant impact on visitor attention and engagement. Furthermore, every extra second that a visitor has to wait for a page to load can result in a significant drop in conversion rates, meaning you could be losing out on potential customers or readers. So how can you ensure that your pages load quickly? There are several ways: optimise your images for the web, use a content delivery network (CDN), and take other steps. This will help improve your website's load time and, as a result, its success.

How can you tell if your website is optimised for page speed and what steps can you take to improve it if needed?

Testing the speed of your website is important to ensure that users have a positive experience. There are a few different ways to test page speed. One way is to use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool. This tool will analyse your website and give you a score, as well as suggestions on how to improve your page speed. Another way to test your website's speed is to use a website speed testing service such as Pingdom or GTmetrix. These services will also give you a score and suggest ways to improve your page speed. If your website's page speed is not up to par, there are a few things you can do to improve it, including optimising your images. This means reducing the file size of your images while preserving quality. Another thing you can do is minifying your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. This means removing unnecessary characters from your code, such as whitespace, comments, and block delimiters.

Can I get help with improving my website's page speed from Asset ICT?

Absolutely! Asset ICT is a website development company that can help you improve your website's page speed. We have a great deal of experience and a team of experts who are knowledgeable in a variety of web development technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. We can help you optimise your website for both desktop and mobile devices. In addition, we can help you improve your website's loading times by caching static assets and compressing files. Asset ICT is committed to helping our clients improve their online presence, and we would be happy to assist you with improving your website's page speed. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

Asset ICT offers free audits of your site so that we can identify any areas where improvement is needed and help you take steps towards achieving optimal page speeds. Please contact us today to get started.