If Google has made a clear statement that slow loading websites will get reduced quality scores and their search engine rankings will be affected negatively, then we know that it really is important.
But the most important reason to ensure that you website loads quickly is simple. If your website doesn’t load quickly, people will leave it and you will never convert.
A study of over 1000 online shoppers published in 2009 found that:
- 40% will abandon a website if it doesn’t load within three seconds.
- 47% expect pages to load within two seconds.
You could have the best website design and a website that functions perfectly, but your competition is only a click away and having a slow website could give users that reasons to leave and find somewhere else.
Online customer data platform Qubit estimate that online retailers lose £1.73billion in global sales each year because of slow loading speeds. To make sure that your website is loading as fast as possible and doesn’t miss out on potential sales you should:
- Optimise images by adding alt tags and make sure images aren’t bigger than they need to be.
- Minimize the number of HTTP Requests and eliminate anything that isn’t necessary on that page.
- Host your website on a good server.
For more information on improving your website or anything related to web design, contact Innermedia.
