Website Speed – The 2 Second Rule

47% of users expect an average website to load within 2 seconds.

If your website speed is slow, taking a long time to load or only partially loading, you are likely impacting your online success. Website users now have a minimum standard for content, message and functionality, load time is a huge factor when considering your initial impression.

What are the signs of poor website speed?

High Bounce rate is one of the main signifiers that you have a problem with your website speed. If you are seeing a bounce rate that is higher than expected, you should consider making efforts towards improving your site speed.

How to check

There are a few options for checking your site speed. We use GTmetrix, an industry recognised leader in website speed insights.

Where to improve

Media files

The likely cause of a poor loading site is media file size. It is now very easy to populate your website with high-resolution images and videos, however, if the file size of your media is too big you will slow the load times of your website. Ensure all of your images are compressed and suitable for digital, as well as

Web hosting

Your website hosting is also an important consideration if you are trying to improve the load time of your website. If you have not fully considered if your web host is suitable for your requirements

Software updates

Is your website updated and running on the latest version of its CMS? Most sites are built on systems that require maintenance,

Measuring website speed improvement.

Can you see the difference?

The best way of seeing an improvement is first hand. Load your website from a fresh or incognito window, does it load quickly?

Check analytics

Are you seeing an improvement in your bounce rate, page load times and page views? If you are seeing a steady climb in numbers consistently, you are heading in the right direction.

It is important to regularly check your website and make sure that it is performing as you expected. If the site is loading slowly, run your domain through a speed checker, if your suspicions are correct, take action to improve where possible. If you need help or have any questions, we are always happy to help. Contact Us and let us know where we can help.