Advances in technology are having just one bad effect on the internet, at least from a site owner perspective. The fault is understandable user impatience. Increases in computer capability and general connectivity all over the world have meant that the average internet user is used to getting what they want instantly. When a user clicks into your site, they want to see it now.

This can be a problem if your site is incapable of ‘now’. There are many things that can slow a site down. The size of your files, the speed of your servers and lack of browser-friendliness all affect the speed with which your pages appear on screen. Sometimes, the problem is on the user side of the equation – but this won’t mean that their impatience is any less. A smart site needs to monitor load times as part of their SEO. You can talk to us at SEO Consult about load times and your site’s search engine optimisation.

So, what could be affecting the load times of your pages? It’s always worth taking a look at your site on a number of machines to see how it appears to different users. This can also clue you into any load time problems. Common problems include:

• Image size: This is possibly the most common culprit for slow page load times. Most often, the image is resized within the page code. This means that an over-large file is loaded, then shrunk for the page. To cut down on download, shrink the file in an image program before saving it to the server

• Scripts: Some scripts don’t work well with all browsers. It’s worthwhile reviewing for functionality

• Objects on page: A page with several large video files and images will naturally take a lot longer to download than a basic text page

• Clunky code: Messy code can creep up on a site. Validating code should be a basic part of your initial SEO implementation. This can be of benefit to download times as well as search engine-friendliness

• User technology: Not all users have up-to-date technology. A download-light site is more likely to load swiftly on older machines, meaning that your site is attractive to all types of users

Page load time might also affect where your site sits in the search engine results pages. Google has dropped a few hints that page load time may play a part in ranking calculations in the near future. This is a logical move, as the search engines frequently change their algorithms to provide the most pleasing results for their users. Google has already introduced time as a factor in quality scores for advertisements, so the SEO world needs to be prepared for the next step.

The thought that load times could be an official part of a site’s ranking is one that makes cold chills run down most web designers’ spines. It’s increasingly clear that simplicity and subtlety will be the ranking factors of the future. How will your site fare?

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