This blog post actually is a continuing part from my last post, which is also included from the blog article I wrote for Pixel Light.
There are many available tools or services out there to help you hasten your page-load time. BUT before you skip to that stage, it’s important to check the current speed of your page first, as this will help you measure the improvement of the page-load time.
Some tools that can be used for checking the current speed are Web Page Test (check the speed of the website across different browsers), Page Speed (Firefox add-on that determines the speed and suggests the solutions for the particular issues), etc. After assessing the current speed of the page, here are some tips that will optimise the page-load time.
Optimise and compress the images – Different file format is suitable for different types of images. Using inappropriate file format can affect the size of the image, which in turn affects the speed of the page. The ideal choice would be using GIF for few-colour images like logos, JPEG for detailed colourful images, and PNG for high quality transparent images. Compressing the images can also be done by specifying image dimensions and avoiding the use of huge images.
Minimise the number of HTTP requests – The more you put on your website including CSS files, widgets, images and interactive media, the longer time it takes to download your website. Therefore, the key answer here is to remove whatever you think it is not necessary to display on your website.
Utilise and optimise caching – When the files are saved in the browsers, the HTTP caching calls the local files from the browsers every time the website is open. Therefore, this reduces the page load time especially to the frequent visitors.
To read the full article that I wrote for the company, please follow the link: http://www.pixellight.com.au/blog/catch-them-they-are-gone
It's a very interesting tips. By the way, I have heard that FLASH format helps website look more lively and can draw attention from viewers. But I want to know that does it have some effect to the loading time??
ReplyDeleteI agree that Flash format is more enjoyable when looking at the website, but only in the case that it doesn't take that long to download the page. If it takes too long, their visitors might decide to close the pages even before they got a chance to see how wonderful the website is.
DeleteI guess that this might be because of the internet and new technology, we get used to the life that get everything instantly or in a short time. That's why time is a very neccessary aspect in doing business nowadays. Customers cannot wait any longer and lose their patience easily.
Cool, I'll keep this in mind when I develop my next website.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that it's useful for you :D
DeleteHere are few of the sources that I gain these information to write this article (Just in case you want to know about it more):
- http://www.getsnappy.com/web-optimization/improving-page-load-times.html
- http://sixrevisions.com/web-development/decrease-webpage-load-times/
- http://www.singlegrain.com/blog/how-to-dramatically-improve-page-load-times/
>iPetch
ReplyDeleteI think Flash gives a cool and interactive user experience for sure. It's great for a page that a user would stay and do a lot of things on the same page i.e. loading it once and the user can do many things on it like flash games, or flash photo albums.
So there is load delay at the beginning when user first comes to the page, but the trade off is worth it if the user are meant to stay on that page for various reasons over a period of time.
Though..Concurrency might be an issue as the information is only updated upto the point that the flash was loaded.